 Willard then commanded the flagships and in various operations including Somalia, and the Persian Gulf.As a flag officer, Willard has served on the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Operations (Current Readiness and Capabilities); Commander, Carrier Group Five embarked in ; Deputy and Chief of Staff, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Commander, Seventh Fleet, embarked in 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.