FORT EUSTIS, Va. - –
The Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Aviation Development Directorate welcomed U.S. Army Col. Steven Braddom as its new commander during a ceremony at Fort Eustis, May 2.
Dr. William Lewis, AAD director, presided over the ceremony in which Braddom succeeded Col. Courtney Cote as commander of the unit.
"Col. Cote has done a wonderful job setting a high bar for standards and I know Col. Braddom will more than meet that bar," Lewis said.
AATD is a directorate of the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, which is a part of the Research, Development and Engineering Command and is subordinate to the Army Materiel Command.
AATD's mission is to develop, mature, demonstrate and transition critical technologies and products through technology programs and customer support that modernize, maintain and sustain Army Aviation as the dominant land force aviation component in the world. The directorate traces its history to the Transportation Corps Board, activated at Fort Monroe, Virginia, 1944 and was later transferred to the Brooklyn Army Base, New York in 1946. AATD has been located at Fort Eustis since 1950.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to lead an organization with a rich history and an outstanding reputation as a world-class capability to develop, demonstrate and transition critical technologies," Braddom said. "My goal is to continue to grow the expertise and dedication to the needs of the warfighter."
Braddom is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and has since served the U.S. Army in several aviation leadership positions.