U.S. Army Redstone Test Command's Aviation Flight Test Directorate Commander Lt. Col. Cornelius L. Allen, Jr., pictured with this family, relinquishes command of Aviation Flight Test Directorate to head to Senior Service College at Air War College at...

Lt. Col. Cornelius L. Allen, Jr. relinquished command of the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center's (RTC) Aviation Flight Test Directorate (AFTD) at a ceremony July 10.

Allen assumed command of AFTD in May 2015 and is now headed to Senior Service College at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery.

RTC Commander Col. John W. Jones presided over the ceremony at the AFTD hangar. Command of AFTD will transfer to Lt. Col. Joe Minor in a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 2. Minor previously served as the Assistant Program Manager for the Advanced Aviation Assessment Program Office at Ft. Eustis, and is currently completing the Department of Defense Program Manager's Course.

"Being the RTC AFTD commander has been an absolute dream job," said Allen. "Working with AFTD's caliber of professionals has truly been my privilege. Over the last four years, we have accomplished more than I could possibly express."

Before taking command of AFTD in May 2015, Allen served as an Acquisition Assignment Officer at Human Resource Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served as Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft Attack Scout Product Director, PEO AVN AH-6i Assistant Product Manager, PEO Missiles and Space Joint Air-to-Ground Missile APM. His first acquisition assignment was at the U.S. Army Operational Test Command Aviation Test Officer.

Allen was commissioned as an Army Aviator after graduating from Tuskegee University in 1999 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He later earned a Master of Science in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

His military education includes the Aviation Officer Basic Course, Aviation Captain's Career Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School (CAS3), Army Acquisition Basic Course (Honor Graduate), Army Acquisition Intermediate Contracting Course (Honor Graduate), Command and General Staff Officer School (Intermediate Level Education), and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Rotary-wing and Systems Short Courses. He is DAWIA Program Management level III and Test & Evaluation level III certified. Allen is also one of the world's first Certified Test and Evaluation Professionals.

Allen's awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with a campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 2, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award, Senior Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Combat Action Badge.