Please join us in congratulating Cmdr. Jonathan Fay on his selection as the 2022 Executive Officer for the Blue Angels! The executive officer is charged with assisting the commanding officer in carrying out the mission of the squadron as a whole, to include personnel performance, training, welfare, and safety, while promoting squadron policy and guidance.
Blue Angels Announce 2022 Executive Officer
PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff named Cmdr. Jonathan Fay as the incoming executive officer of the 2022 Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Fay attended the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics and received his commission, May 2000. “It is an incredible honor to join Cmdr. Kesselring in guiding this extraordinary organization through its 76th season,” Fay said. “The seriousness of this job is not one to be taken lightly. I am humbled by the legacy I will follow and excited to learn from this highly skilled group of Sailors and Marines.
”Fay was designated a naval flight officer in January 2002, and reported to the “Shamrocks” of Sea Control Squadron (VS) 41, at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, San Diego, for initial training in the S-3B Viking. He reported to NAS Jacksonville, Florida, in October 2002, where he completed an eastern Mediterranean Sea deployment aboard aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Throughout his career, Fay completed multiple combat tours in support of both OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom.
In September 2005, Fay reported to the “Warbucks” of Training Squadron (VT) 4 as an instructor. During this tour he was selected for transition to the P-3C Orion due to the retirement of the S-3B Viking.
In November 2017, Fay was selected as a Navy Legislative Fellow in Washington D.C., and served in the personal office of a member of congress. During this tour on Capitol Hill he supported the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, assisting in the passage of the fiscal year 2018 and 2019 defense appropriations legislation.
Fay is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, earning a Master’s in Business Administration, in addition to advanced certificates in space systems and anti-submarine warfare.
Fay will join Blue Angels Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brian Kesselring and Blue Angels Command Master Chief Eric McDermott to assume his role for the 2022 show season following the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola, scheduled Nov. 6.The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach while inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 496 million fans. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 54 flight demonstrations at 27 locations across the United States and Canada in 2021. For more information about the Blue Angels, including the air show schedule, visit www.blueangels.navy.mil.