HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Lt. Col. Bryan Ralston assumed command of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 719th Test Squadron during a Change of Command ceremony on July 25, 2024, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The 719 TS and Sentinel Combined Test Force provide developmental test and evaluation support for the modernization and service life extension of the LGM-30 Minuteman III and development of next-generation Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICMBs.
The Air Force Test Center is the Minuteman III and Sentinel Lead Developmental Test and Evaluation Organization, and AEDC is the Executing Test Organization.
The squadron works alongside the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center ICBM System Program Offices; the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; and the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center to support the Minuteman III and Sentinel programs.
“I’m incredibly excited to have the honor to command the 719th Test Squadron and serve the nation as the director of the ICBM Combined Test Force,” Ralston said. “Squadron command is one of the most unique opportunities of an Air Force career, and I’m excited to be able to work with some of the nation’s experts to ensure the Air Force procures one of the most advanced and capable ICBMs ever produced.”
Ralston is a graduate of the Air Force Chief of Staff-chartered Blue Horizons Fellowship, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Service Chief Fellowship and U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He has more than 550 flight hours in more than three dozen aircraft.
Throughout his career, Ralston has held a variety of engineering positions in all phases of Air Force and Department of Defense Acquisitions. Prior to assuming command of the 719th Test Squadron, he served as the Autonomy Prime lead and military deputy division chief for AFWERX’s Prime Program. In that role, he was responsible for the acceleration of dual-use autonomy capabilities and providing technical, financial and regulatory risk reduction for advanced emerging technologies.