Admiral Ray retired in 2021 after serving as the 31rst Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard. As Vice, he served as the Deputy Service Chief, and Senior Acquisition Official during a period when the Service initiated and sustained the most growth in ship building and infrastructure recapitalization since WWII. He also was responsible for developing policies and procedures to support sustained Coast Guard Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement and Security operations during the Pandemic and for supporting multiple DHS surge missions in the heartland and on the Southern Border. Prior to Service as Vice Commandant, he served as Deputy Commandant for Operations, where he set operational strategy and policy that addressed national and Service priorities for the Coast Guard
Admiral Ray commanded Coast Guard forces in the Pacific Area and was the Head of Delegation for multiple international engagements in the North Pacific and Arctic Coast Guard Forums that included frequent interaction with representatives from the Coast Guards of the Peoples Republic of China and Russia. He also served as the Director of the Iraq Training and Mission to the Ministry of Interior with U.S. Forces Iraq from 2009 to 2010 and prior to that as the Military Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Admiral Ray spent most of his operational time as an aviator. He flew over 5000 helicopter flight hours and was the longest serving aviator in the Coast Guard in his final 4 years of Service thereby earning the title of “Ancient Albatross”.
Admiral Ray is a Senior Fellow for Capstone and Keystone at the National Defense University and serves on the Military Advisory Board for Purdue University and the Defense Advisory Board for Regent Craft Inc.