REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (May 2, 2025) – Lt. Col. Dan Brown assumed command of the Aviation Flight Test Directorate at the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center in a ceremony held May 2, 2025, at the Aviation Test and Instrumentation Facility. He replaced Lt. Col. Andrew Rieck, who is retiring after 21 years of service.
The change of command ceremony was presided over by RTC Commander Col. Joseph Alexander. Brown, a native of South Glastonbury, Connecticut, most recently served as RTC’s Chief of Staff. Prior to that, from 2022-2024, he was the Government Test Lead & Experimental Test Pilot for Sikorsky’s “Raider X” Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Competitive Prototype at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation’s West Palm Beach facility. He is a West Point graduate and former hockey player.
Lt. Col. Rieck, a native of Seattle, Washington, graduated from Gonzaga University in 2003 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and received his commission. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and is Advanced Program Manager DAWIA certified.
Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, Jr., Director of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, officiated Lt. Col. Rieck’s retirement ceremony. Rieck previously served as Rasch’s executive officer earlier in his Army career.
Background on Lt. Col. Dan Brown
Lt. Col. Brown’s previous assignments include service with 1-6 Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Carson, Colorado and Ft. Riley, Kansas, with two deployments to Iraq. He also served as an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, teaching Thermodynamics and conducting academic flight labs. From 2017-2019, he was an XP with RTC’s AFTD, serving as ASE Division Chief, Executive Officer & Chief of Flight Test, and Interim Commander. He later served in PEO Aviation as the Assistant Product Manager for CH-47 Modernization and as Executive Officer to the PEO.
Lt. Col. Brown has flown more than 3,200 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft types and has earned the Army Master Aviator Badge and Army Basic Parachutist Badge. His awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (4th Award), Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. He is married to Nancy Clark Brown, and they have two daughters.
Background on Lt. Col. Andrew Rieck
Throughout his 21-year career, Lt. Col. Rieck has served in operational and acquisition roles, including assignments with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center, PEO Missiles and Space, and the Fires Test Directorate. His operational assignments include service in Korea, Alaska, and deployments to Iraq.
Lt. Col. Rieck’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, and Air Medal. He is authorized to wear the Army Senior Aviator Badge. He is married to Haley Austermiller Rieck, and they have two sons, Joseph and Thomas.
About the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center
The U.S. Army Redstone Test Center, located on Redstone Arsenal, is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. RTC provides technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of tests on missile and aviation systems, sensors, subsystems, and components.
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