AFOTEC Welcomes First Executive Director

  • Published
  • By Katherine C. Gandara
  • AFOTEC Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center recently welcomed David Hamilton as its first executive director. Mr. Hamilton, a member of the Senior Executive Service since 1999, served as the Deputy Director of Test and Evaluation at Headquarters U.S. Air Force before his assignment to AFOTEC.

"Mr. Hamilton has an outstanding background in test and will add valuable experience to the AFOTEC team. Dave will be a key leader fostering excellence in acquisition throughout the requirements, acquisition and test communities as we continue our drive to reduce the time and cost to test and field warfighting capabilities," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Sargeant, AFOTEC commander.

"I am extremely appreciative to have this opportunity to join the AFOTEC team. I hope to use the 20 years of experience in the developmental and operational test community to provide a value-added contribution to the organization and to provide all the help I can to AFOTEC's civilian workforce in the areas of career development, education and morale. I look forward to working with General Sargeant and the whole AFOTEC team. I know my wife Eleanor is excited about discovering all that New Mexico has to offer," said Mr. Hamilton.

Mr. Hamilton served in the Air Force from June 1969 until he retired in the rank of colonel in 1999. While on active duty as a career fighter pilot, he accrued more than 4,000 flight hours with more than 500 combat hours, including 50 missions over North Vietnam in the F-4. He has flown all models of the F-16, including the F-16CJ, and has amassed more than 1,600 hours in operational and test-flying activities.

Mr. Hamilton held several key operational positions, including squadron and test group commander. Additionally, he served on the Air Staff in both operations and in research and development, as well as having served as a force programmer at Air Combat Command. His last active-duty assignment was as the AFOTEC Detachment 2 commander at Eglin AFB, Fla.

AFOTEC is a direct reporting unit to the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and is the Air Force's independent test agency. AFOTEC is responsible for testing, under operationally realistic conditions, new warfighting capabilities developed for the Air Force, and often its joint and coalition partners.