Jay Ballard - Biography
Fox-3 Strategic Advisors
Commander Jay Ballard, US Navy (retired), owns Fox-3 Strategic Advisors, a Queensville, Ontario company. He is a former Topgun Instructor Pilot who has lectured on advanced tactics from coast to coast in the United States. He specializes in consulting on military and operational planning issues as well as speaking on leadership and motivational topics.
A native of Nashport, Ohio, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1986. Following a short assignment as an Air Traffic Controller at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida, he was accepted into the Naval Aviation Cadet Program and was winged as a Naval Aviator and commissioned an Ensign at NAS Beeville, Texas, March 1989.
From 1989 to 1991 he served as an advanced jet flight instructor, with the VT-25 “Cougars,” NAS Beeville, TX. While serving as an instructor pilot, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He completed fleet replacement pilot training in May 1992 and deployed onboard the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72) with the VFA-94 “Mighty Shrikes,” NAS Lemoore, California. During this tour he served as a Carrier Air Wing ELEVEN (CVW-11) Landing Signal Officer (LSO), a Night Vision Goggle Instructor Pilot and the squadron Air to Ground Weapons Training Officer.
From 1995 to 1998 he served as an Adversary Instructor Pilot with the VFA-127 “Desert Bogeys” and VFC-13 “Saints” at NAS Fallon, Nevada. During this tour he completed the Topgun Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) course and the Adversary Instructor Pilot course at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, NV.
In January 1998 he reported to the VFA-37 “Bulls” at NAS Cecil Field, Florida as the Training Officer. He deployed once to the Arabian Gulf Theater onboard the USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65), and flew three combat missions during Operation Desert Fox, as well as presence operations off the coast of Kosovo and over Bosnia prior to the start of Operation Allied Force. Following this deployment he reported to the Strike Fighter Weapons School, Atlantic at NAS Oceana, Virginia in 1999 as the Operations Officer.
In 2001 he received orders to the VFA-105 “Gunslingers” at NAS Oceana, Virginia as the Maintenance Officer and Operations Officer. He completed one deployment to the Arabian Gulf Theater onboard the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN-75) and was designated as a Carrier Air Wing THREE (CVW-3) Strike Leader. While deployed, he flew missions in support of Operation Southern Watch, served as the CVW-3 Liaison to the Commander, Joint Task Force – South West Asia (CJTF-SWA) in Saudi Arabia and, following a brief return to the TRUMAN, was assigned to the Deputy Commander, Central Command (CENTCOM) for a three-week accidental death investigation, which occurred at the OP-10 bombing range in Kuwait. He left VFA-105 in October 2002, and in May 2003 he graduated with Honors from the French Language School at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California.
In June 2004 he graduated from the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he earned a Masters in Defense Studies (MDS) degree from the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario.
August 2004 he checked aboard the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72) as the Assistant Air Department Officer. He deployed twice to the western Pacific. During the first deployment, he directed recovery and assistance operations, which were launched and recovered from the flight deck of the Abraham Lincoln during Operation Unified Assistance (the Banda Ache, Sumatra Tsunami relief efforts).
September 2006, he reported to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon, Nevada, where he was the Risk Management Department Head and an Adversary Instructor Pilot. He retired from the US Navy after serving for more than 22 years in June 2008.
Commander Ballard received numerous awards, which include two Meritorious Service Medals, two Air Medals, four Navy Commendation Medals plus a Combat “V”, as well as various unit and campaign awards. He has over 3,900 flight hours and 500 carrier landings.