Deputy Commodore
Capt. Aaron J. Carlson
Capt. Aaron J. Carlson, a native of Glasgow, Montana, graduated from the University of Montana in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, and earned his designation as a Naval Flight Officer in February 2004.
He holds a master's degree from the University of San Diego and a second master's degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Throughout his career, Carlson has completed four operational tours and seven deployments with F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft squadrons and Carrier Air Wing staff. He served with the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, the “Black Aces,” Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, VFA-103, the “Jolly Rogers,” and VFA-154, the “Black Knights,” where he rose to the rank of Executive Officer and later Commanding Officer. His deployments spanned across the Western Pacific, Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, where he supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve
Ashore, Carlson has served in multiple instructional and leadership roles, including Joint Terminal Attack Controller Instructor and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) Program Manager at VFA-122, the west coast F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft fleet replacement squadron. He was also a Plans and Assessment Observer/Trainer in the J7 Directorate of the Joint Staff and served as the Fleet Command Center Director and Current Operations Director for Task Force (CTF) 80/U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command (NAVNORTH) on the staff of U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
Carlson reported to Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic as Deputy Commodore in November 2025.
With over 2,800 total flight hours, including more than 2,600 hours in the F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, Carlson’s personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Strike-Flight Air Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), and numerous campaign, service, and unit awards.