Figured it out. I had to change service years and mission profile types. E2-C was properly labeled as an Early Warning as both primary and secondary roles and added in Recon to it. I also randomly selected an F-14 its service year start and end was 2006 I changed the start year to 1972.
Took up one E-2C with 15 F-14s 8 were set strictly for aerial combat the others were set primarily for ground assault. In the end some enemy planes went missing as did a number of ground installions .... I lost one F-14. In other words I got to pull a Tyhpoid
Skyviper's post in How can I have armed wingmen or have support when flying E-2C Hawkeye? was marked as the answer