Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) conducted a change of command at Naval Station Norfolk, Chambers Field on Thursday, July 23.
Capt. Nathan Ballou, a Rochester native, relieved Capt. William Reed during an in-flight ceremony featuring a formation of one E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. Prior to taking command, Ballou served as Deputy Commander of CVW-7, known as the Freedom Fighters, during their 10-month around the world deployment onboard USS Abraham Lincoln. While on cruise, CVW-7 operated in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf, and set a record for longest continual deployment by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
“As an air wing, our focus is to train confident, tactically proficient aviators and the best maintenance and support teams in the world,” said Ballou. “While we ready ourselves to execute any mission that our nation asks, we must pay back into our Sailors and their families for the tenacity and resilience they demonstrated during deployment in every way that we can. I’m grateful each day for the opportunity to continue to lead in this profession that I love.”
Capt. Ballou’s previous assignments include command of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83 and overseas tours in Japan and Germany. During numerous deployments throughout his career, he supported Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent resolve leading numerous strikes against targets in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Capt. Ballou attended Illinois Institute of Technology. He currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his wife Beth and their children.
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