Press Release from the Naval Air Systems Command:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard J. Wallace, USNR, recently assumed command of the Naval Reserve Air Systems Program from Rear Adm. (upper half) Mark M. Hazara, USNR. As director of the reserve component of the Naval Air Systems Command, Wallace also serves as the deputy assistant commander, Naval Air Systems Command.
Wallace is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and spent most of his youth in Rockville, Md. He graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and was commissioned after completing Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla., in 1976.
Earning his Wings of Gold on April 8, 1977, at Kingsville, Tex., Wallace was assigned to VA-174, the A-7E fleet training squadron. Upon completion of training he was assigned to Attack Squadron 86 (VA-86) and deployed aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) for Mediterranean and Indian Ocean cruises. Wallace augmented to the regular Navy in 1979.
Following his tour with VA-86, Wallace attended the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., earning both a Master of Science and a Professional Engineer degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After completing the postgraduate program in 1983, he joined Fleet Composite Squadron 8 as a fleet "adversary" pilot flying the A-4 Skyhawk at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. Over his career Wallace has accumulated more than 3,600 flight hours in a variety of aircraft, and has logged more than 300 carrier-arrested landings.
Rear Adm. Wallace left active duty in 1985 and accepted a commission in the Naval Reserve. He was initially assigned to a Naval Air Logistics Unit in 1986, and later served as the executive and commanding officer of four Air Systems Program reserve units. He was selected for promotion to Rear Admiral in February 2003.
In civilian life, Dr. Wallace served as Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Full Spectrum Dominance, and is presently chief scientist for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C. He also earned a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1991.
