Cmdr. Justin Estrada

During a command ceremony Friday in the hangar on board Naval Air Station Meridian, Cmdr. Justin Estrada assumed command of Training Squadron 9 from Cmdr. James Anderson who had served as the squadron’s leader since August 2022.

Under Anderson’s leadership, the “Tigers” of VT-9 executed 17,816 training missions, completing 17,698 training flight hours in the T-45C Goshawk. This directly resulted in 79 Navy and Marine Corps students earning their coveted “Wings of Gold.” Furthermore, leading from the front, he personally flew more than 1,100 sorties, over half in basic fighter and section engaged maneuvering stages. Anderson is retiring with 20 years of service to the U.S. Navy.

Estrada is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. After receiving his commission, he earned his designation as a naval aviator in 2008 at Naval Air Station Meridian. He then completed initial training for the venerable F/A-18C. His first fleet tour was with the VFA-146 “Blue Diamonds,” where his duties included avionics/armament division officer, NATOPS officer, and air-to-surface weapons and tactics officer. His tour included Operations Tomodachi, New Dawn and Enduring Freedom in Japan, Iraq and Afghanistan aboard the USS Ronald Reagan.

His first shore tour was with VT-9 back at NAS Meridian as an instructor pilot where he participated in multiple weapons and carrier qualification detachments. He served as a schedules officer and assistant operations officer. In 2014, he was selected as the Training Wing Instructor Pilot of the Year.

Subsequent to his production tour, he served as flag aide to Commander Naval Air Warfare Center – Weapons Division located in China Lake, California. He returned to the fleet as a department head with the VFA-27 “Royal Maces.” In Japan, first at Naval Air Facility Atsugi then Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, he made three deployments from 2017 to 2020. There he earned his qualification as a strike lead and served as the administration, safety and operations department heads. Following his tour in Japan, he earned his master’s in Defense and Strategic studies in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was also selected for promotion and command. He reported to VT-9 as executive officer in August 2022.