Commander (ret.) Jay Ballard is a military consultant, postgraduate instructor with the Canadian Forces College, writer and training specialist who lives with his family in Queensville, Ontario. He retired from the US Navy as a Commander with more than 3,800 hours in fighters and more than 500 arrested landings on aircraft carriers. He has flown the FA-18A/B/C, F-16N, F-5E/F and TA-4J. He made five deployments that included combat operations over Iraq, stability flights off Somali, and disaster relief operations in Sumatra. His qualifications included: Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor, Carrier Air Wing THREE Strike Leader and USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Air Boss.