Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

James Oren Ellis Jr. (born July 20, 1947) is a retired 4-star admiral and former Commander,

United States Strategic Command The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weap ...

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the ...

, Nebraska. He was President and Chief Executive Officer,

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations The Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), headquartered in Atlanta, GA, is an organization established in 1979 by the U.S. nuclear power industry in response to recommendations by the Kemeny Commission Report, following the investigation ...

until May 2012. He joined the board of directors of

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

in 2004, and served until 2024. Since retiring from the military, Ellis has been the Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. In 2013, Ellis was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

for leadership in advancing safe nuclear power plant operations throughout the world.

Early life

Ellis, born in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

, is a 1969 graduate of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1971 and held a variety of sea and shore assignments from 1972.

Naval career

Ellis' sea duty billets as a navy fighter pilot included tours with

Fighter Squadron 92 Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, a person legally entitled to participate in hostilities during an armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed primarily for air-to-air combat ** Fighter pilot, ...

aboard and Fighter Squadron 1 aboard . Ellis was the first Commanding Officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 131, deploying in 1985 with new F/A-18 Hornets aboard . He served as Executive Officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and as Commanding Officer of , the Persian Gulf flagship of the Commander, Joint Task Force, Middle East. In 1991 he assumed command of and participated in

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

while deployed during her maiden voyage in the western Pacific and Persian Gulf. In June 1995, Ellis assumed command of Carrier Group Five/Battle Force Seventh Fleet, breaking his flag aboard , forward deployed to the Western Pacific and homeported in

Yokosuka, Japan is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city is ...

. As Carrier Battle Group Commander he led contingency response operations to both the Persian Gulf and Taiwan Straits. Ellis' shore and staff assignments include tours as an experimental/operational test pilot, service in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, and duty as F/A-18 Program Coordinator, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare). He has also served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force FIVE, the counter-narcotics force for United States Commander in Chief Pacific. In November 1993 he reported as Inspector General,

United States Atlantic Fleet United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

, and subsequently served as Director for Operations, Plans and Policy (N3/N5) on the staff of the Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet. He assumed duties as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy and Operations) in November 1996. Ellis became Commander in Chief,

United States Naval Forces Europe The United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), is the United States Navy component command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. Prior to 2020, NAVEUR-NAVAF was previously referred to as United ...

, headquartered in London, England, and Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe headquartered in Naples, Italy, in October 1998. Ellis served as Commander,

from 2002 and retired from the navy in 2004.

Education

Ellis holds Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

and in Aeronautical Systems from the

University of West Florida The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida, United States. Established in 1963 as a member institution of the State University System of Florida, the University of West Florida is a comprehe ...

. He is also a 1975 graduate of United States Naval Test Pilot School. He completed United States Navy nuclear power training in 1987 and is a graduate of the Senior Officer Program in National Security Strategy at Harvard University.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

Level 3 appoints James O. Ellis, Jr., as the Chairman Of The Board
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, James 1947 births Living people People from Spartanburg, South Carolina United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Georgia Tech alumni United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni University of West Florida alumni United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War Harvard University alumni United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal