Leadership • Senior Staff • Senior Advisors • Board of Advisors

Senior Staff: Wade Hall

Wade Hall
Vice President of Business Development and Military Affairs

Wade Hall is Vice President of Business Development and Military Affairs for American Defense International, Inc.  Wade grew up in Eastern Tennessee graduating from East Tennessee State University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.  Upon graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.  He completed Marine Corps Officer Training at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, followed by Naval Aviator flight training in Pensacola, Florida.  He was designated a Naval Aviator in October of 1984.

Wade spent over 27 years in the United States Marine Corps completing his career as a Colonel.  He commanded at the squadron and regimental levels, served as the operations officer for the Marine Corps largest Marine Air Group, and the Navy’s largest advanced jet training squadron.  He conducted aircraft carrier operations aboard the USS Nimitz and USS Kennedy.  His tours took him world wide from Australia to Norway, the Middle East to the Far East.  He served a joint tour with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, working for the Deputy Secretary in the Office of Force Transformation with the late Admiral Arthur Cebrowski.  He was designated as the Secretary’s director for Force Protection issues and managed operational experimentation efforts in non-lethal directed energy weapons and active protection systems.  He also served at Headquarters Marine Corps – Aviation Office as the director of all Marine Corps Aviation platform weapons systems. He participated in four (4) combat operations from Desert Storm, Allied Force, and Iraqi Freedom.  He has over 3900 flight hours in six different type aircraft, with 2000 in the EA-6B Prowler and 330 hours in combat.  He was qualified as a pilot, instructor pilot and mission commander in the EA-6B Prowler, instructor pilot in the A-4 Skyhawk and aircraft commander in the KC-130 Hercules.  His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, two Strike/Flight Air Medals with combat V, six Air Medals, and two Navy / Marine Corps Commendation Medals.

Wade holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies and is a certified Joint Service Officer.  He is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College, Marine Corps War College, Marine Corps Command & Staff College and Amphibious Warfare School. 

Wade is married to the former Keri Chelgren of Bloomington, Minnesota.  He has three grown children, Jessica, Karen and Matthew.