Col. Grant A. Mizell is the Deputy Commander for the Air Force Test Center. AFTC is a $31-billion enterprise of more than 19,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel across Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., Arnold AFB, Tenn., and more than 30 geographically separated units. Prior to his assignment as Deputy Commander, he served as the 412th Test Wing Operations Group Commander at Edwards AFB, Calif., leading developmental test and evaluation of nearly every aircraft in the Air Force inventory.
Col. Mizell was commissioned in 1999 through the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a bachelor’s degree in operations research. He has 24 years of active-duty experience, from Little Rock Air Force Base and Ramstein Air Base as a combat pilot in C-130 aircraft, through Test Pilot School and an exchange opportunity with the Royal Air Force, to two assignments on the Air Staff. Col Mizell was the commander of the 645th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, Big Safari, served as a professor and the military fellow to the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, was the Joint Staff’s liaison to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and was the Chief of JOCE, the primary liaison between the Senior U.S. Military Officer in Korea and the Republic of Korea Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Col. Mizell is a command pilot with over 3,200 hours as an instructor, evaluator and test pilot with both the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force, flying over 54 aircraft types including the C-130E/H/J, HC/MC/EC-130, C-17, Tristar L-1011, Tucano, and RC-135. He accumulated more than 580 combat flight hours on six deployed tours in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, in the Balkans, and in support of contingency operations in Africa.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science, Operations Research/Math, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
2008 Master of Science, Aviation Systems, University of Tennessee, Space Institute, Tenn.
2008 Air Force Mishap Investigation Course, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Air Force Safety Board President’s Course, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2019 Senior Developmental Education In-Residence, Fellowship, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
2021 Joint Professional Military Education, Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, Virginia
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1999 – May 2000, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Tx.
2. June 2000 – February 2004, C-130H Pilot/Scheduler, 50th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
(March 2002 – June 2002, Pilot C-130H, 72d Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Southwest Asia.)
(July 2002 – October 2002, Pilot C-130H, 776th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Southwest Asia.)
(February 2003 – May 2003, Air Mobility Division Planner, Combined Air Operations Center, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.)
(September 2003 – January 2004, Pilot, 745th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Southwest Asia)
3. March 2004 – October 2005, C-130E Instructor Pilot/Chief of Mobility, 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany.
(October 2004 – December 2004, Pilot, 738th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Southwest Asia.)
4. November 2005 – February 2010, Test Pilot/Flight Commander/Chief Standardization and Evaluation, 418th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Ca.
(April 2009 – September 2009, Liaison to Army Central Command, ARCENT HQ, Camp Arijana, Kuwait.)
5. March 2010 – June 2012, Director of Operations, 206 (R) Squadron, RAF Boscombe Down, UK.
6. July 2012 – June 2013, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Al.
7. July 2013 – June 2015, C-130 Program Element Monitor, SAF/AQ, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
8. July 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 645th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, Greenville, Texas.
9. July 2017 – July 2018, Branch Chief, Airlift Requirements, HAF/A5R, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
10. July 2018 – June 2019, National Defense Fellow, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
11. June 2019 – June 2020, Strategic Planner and DARPA Liaison, J-7, The Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
12. June 2020 – July 2021, Chief, Joint Operations Coordination Element, USFK J-3, USAG Yongsan, Seoul, Korea.
13. July 2021 – July 2023, Commander, 412th Operations Group, Edwards AFB, Calif.
14. July 2023 – Present, Deputy Commander, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2003 – May 2003, Air Mobility Division Planner, CAOC, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia
2. June 2019 – June 2020, Strategic Planner and DARPA Liaison, J-7, The Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
3. June 2020 – July 2021, Chief, Joint Operations Coordination Element, USFK J-3, USAG Yongsan, Seoul, Korea
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot and Parachutist
Flight Hours: More than 3,200 including more than 580 combat hours.
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-1, C-130E, C-130H, T-38A, AT-38B, T-38C, F-15D, F-15E, TG-4A, T-43A, T-6, T-6A, C-12C, KC-135R, TG-9A, Lear-24D, NF-16D, F-16B, F-16C, NP-3D, DC-3, OH-58C, CASA-101, CASA-212, UH-1N, F/A-18D, HU-16, MiG-15, S-3B, G-103, TG-10A, HC-130P, WC-130J, MC-130E, C-5A, C-17A, BAC1-11, Andover, Tristar, Tucano, PA-31, CC-130J, Hawk, B-707, RC-135S, MC-12W, EC-130H, TC-135W, RC-135V, C-32A, RC-135U, P-3C, RC-135W, NC-135W