As a flag officer, Willard has served on the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Operations (Current Readiness and Capabilities); Commander. In 1998–1999, he attended MIT Seminar XXI.[5] He also served on Carrier Group Five embarked in USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63); Deputy and Chief of Staff, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Commander, Seventh Fleet, embarked in USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) in Yokosuka, Japan; and Director for Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (DJ8) on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From March 2005 to April 2007, Willard was the 34th Vice Chief of Naval Operations. After, he was the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet from May 8, 2007, until September 25, 2009, when he was relieved by Admiral Patrick M. Walsh. As the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, he was responsible for the world's largest fleet command, encompassing 100,000,000 square miles (260,000,000 km2) and more than 170 ships and submarines, 1,300 aircraft, and 122,000 Sailors, Reservists and civilians.
He was named a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in late 2018.[6]
Popular culture
Willard appeared in and was a consultant for the 1986 film Top Gun. He pilots the “MiG-28” that receives "the bird" from Goose and Maverick.[citation needed]
In March 2010, a video in which Rep. Hank Johnson expressed his concern to Willard that the island of Guam might "capsize" and "tip over" due to overpopulation of military equipment and personnel went viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views from thehill.com, hotair.com and latimes.com and was ultimately seen over three million times.[7] Willard reassured the Congressman, "we don't anticipate that", for which he received wide popular admiration.[8][9][10]
^U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs (May 17, 2007). "Williard assumes command of U.S. Pacific Fleet". The Dolphin.
^MCC(SW) Stefanie Sealy (September 25, 2009). "Walsh Takes Helm of U.S. Pacific Fleet"(PDF). United States Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 2, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2009.