James O . Ellis Admiral James O . Ellis , Jr . ( born July 20 , 1947 ) is a retired 4 - star admiral and former Commander , United States Strategic Command , Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska . He currently is President and Chief Executive Officer , Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and serves on the board of directors of Lockheed Martin . Biography . Ellis , born in Spartanburg , South Carolina , is a 1969 graduate of the U . S . Naval Academy . He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1971 and has held a variety of sea and shore assignments since 1972 . His sea duty billets as a Navy fighter pilot included tours with Fighter Squadron 92 aboard USS Constellation ( CV - 64 ) and Fighter Squadron 1 aboard USS Ranger ( CV - 61 ) . Admiral Ellis was the first Commanding Officer of Strike / Fighter Squadron 131 , deploying in 1985 with new F / A - 18 Hornets aboard USS Coral Sea ( CV - 43 ) . He served as Executive Officer of the nuclear - powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson ( CVN - 70 ) and as Commanding Officer of USS La Salle ( AGF - 3 ) , the Persian Gulf flagship of the Commander , Joint Task Force , Middle East . In 1991 he assumed command of USS Abraham Lincoln ( CVN - 72 ) and participated in Operation Desert Storm while deployed during her maiden voyage in the western Pacific and Persian Gulf . In June 1995 , Admiral Ellis assumed command of Carrier Group Five / Battle Force Seventh Fleet , breaking his flag aboard USS Independence ( CV - 62 ) , forward deployed to the Western Pacific and homeported in Yokosuka , Japan . 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 U . S . Commander in Chief Pacific . In November 1993 he reported as Inspector General , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , and subsequently served as Director for Operations , Plans and Policy ( N3 / N5 ) on the staff of the Commander in Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet . He assumed duties as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations ( Plans , Policy and Operations ) in November 1996 . Admiral Ellis became Commander in Chief , U . S . Naval Forces , Europe headquartered in London , England , and Commander in Chief , Allied Forces , Southern Europe headquartered in Naples , Italy , in October 1998 . Ellis holds Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology , and in Aeronautical Systems from the University of West Florida . He is also a 1975 graduate of U . S . 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 . His personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Navy Distinguished Service Medal , Legion of Merit ( four awards ) , Defense Meritorious Service Medal , Meritorious Service Medal ( two awards ) , and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal , as well as numerous campaign and service awards . Ellis retired from the Navy in 2004 .