Navy Capt. Brett Pierson reads his orders aloud during a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River Dec. 5. Pierson relieved Marine Col. Roger Cordell as Commander of Naval Test Wing Atlantic, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. (U.S. Navy photo)
Navy Capt. Brett Pierson and Marine Col. Roger Cordell shake hands as Rear Admiral Dean Peters observes during a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River Dec. 5. Pierson relieved Cordell as Commander of Naval Test Wing Atlantic. (U.S. Navy photo)
Patuxent River, MD — The Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL) changed hands during an official ceremony in the VX-20 hangar at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, Dec. 5.
Navy Capt. Brett Pierson relieved Marine Col. Roger Cordell, as NTWL commander.
“Over the past three years, the squadrons of Naval Test Wing Atlantic and Naval Test Pilot School flew 36,700 sorties for 58,000 flight hours,” said Steven Cricchi, director, Integrated Systems Evaluation, Experimentation and Test Department, Naval Air Systems Command. “In the three years that Roger has been the test wing commander, there have been significant, certainly historic, and some would argue fundamental, changes in naval aviation.”
“Roger, it’s been a great Command Tour,” added Cricchi. “Those who worked for you describe you as humble, thought-provoking, receptive, empowering, and grounded. In the face of every challenge over the past three years, you always remained calm and unflappable.”
“History will look back at this decade and forever recognize the material equities that we have secured for generations to come,” said Cordell. “I could not have asked for a better cadre of commanders with whom to pursue those successes. Along with my commanders, over the last few years I have been blessed with an incredible staff that enables our squadrons to do their tremendous work free from so many distractions that otherwise would exist.”
Pierson previously served as the Fleet Integration Team Lead for the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike System (UCLASS) at NAS Patuxent River. He also previously served as the chief operational test director and commanding officer for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9 at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.
Pierson thanked his family and mentors for helping him achieve his dream to become an aviator, recalling that seeing air shows, flyovers at football games and static aircraft displays had broadened his mind and challenged him to dream beyond his surroundings.
“Those things expose people with different backgrounds–who would otherwise have no idea that they exist–to the possibility of a Navy life, and those things make little kids have ‘preposterous’ dreams that sometimes come true,” said Pierson. “I think that we want the kind of little kid who isn’t afraid to dream big to lead the Navy of tomorrow, and I want the Navy to reach that kid and be there for the start of that dream.”
NTWL is the Navy’s principal flight and ground test activity for the development and acquisition of naval aviation systems. With 450 military personnel and 1,200 civilians assigned, NTWL includes three naval test squadrons, a test directorate, and the United States Naval Test Pilot School. The wing has 129 Navy, Marine Corps and U.S. Army aircraft covering 42 different types, models and series of manned aircraft, as well as 110 unmanned air vehicles.