Colonel KARL W. SEEKAMP
Col. Karl W. Seekamp is Deputy Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He aids the commander in leading more than 12,500 people to execute a 5-billion-dollar budget to discover, develop, and integrate warfighting technologies for the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF). He oversees a 127-million-dollar budget to upgrade state-of-the-art research facilities distributed globally across 21 sites, and he directs the AFRL Headquarters’ (HQ) daily operations, including managing the 219-million-dollar AFRL HQ budget.
Col. Seekamp was commissioned as a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Connecticut and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Class 131. Col. Seekamp has commanded flight test units at the detachment, squadron and group level. He has led operational, developmental, and joint testing on a wide variety of platforms. Additionally, he commanded an expeditionary advisor unit leading Mi-17 combat operations across western Afghanistan. Col. Seekamp has staff experience in Numbered Air Force level safety, Major Command (MAJCOM) standardization and evaluation, and Combatant Command strategic plans. Prior to his current position, Col. Seekamp was the commander of the 704th Test Group where he led testing of systems for Position Navigation and Timing (PNT), Radar Cross Section (RCS), Live Fire, Landing Gear, Directed Energy, Highspeed Rocket Sled operations, airborne Prototyping and Experimentation, and all USAF tests on White Sands Missile Range.
Col. Seekamp is an experimental test pilot with qualifications in eleven different Army, Navy, and Air Force aircraft. He holds rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and powered lift pilot ratings. He has been a flight evaluator at the squadron, group, and MAJCOM level and has flown more than 100 Operation Enduring Freedom combat missions.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, with honors, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Experimental Test Pilot Course, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River NAS, Md.
2009 Masters of Business Administration, University of Maryland, University College, Md.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: Over 3,500 (245 Combat)
Aircraft flown: UH-1N, CV-22B, Mi-17, TH-6, C-12C/D, BE-1900, UH-60L/M, HH-60G/U/W and over 20 other types
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with “N” Device
Non-Article 5 NATO Medal (ISAF)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 27, 1999
First Lieutenant January 27, 2001
Captain January 27, 2003
Major September 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2014
Colonel October 1, 2021
(Current as of July 2024)
Col. Seekamp was commissioned as a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Connecticut and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Class 131. Col. Seekamp has commanded flight test units at the detachment, squadron and group level. He has led operational, developmental, and joint testing on a wide variety of platforms. Additionally, he commanded an expeditionary advisor unit leading Mi-17 combat operations across western Afghanistan. Col. Seekamp has staff experience in Numbered Air Force level safety, Major Command (MAJCOM) standardization and evaluation, and Combatant Command strategic plans. Prior to his current position, Col. Seekamp was the commander of the 704th Test Group where he led testing of systems for Position Navigation and Timing (PNT), Radar Cross Section (RCS), Live Fire, Landing Gear, Directed Energy, Highspeed Rocket Sled operations, airborne Prototyping and Experimentation, and all USAF tests on White Sands Missile Range.
Col. Seekamp is an experimental test pilot with qualifications in eleven different Army, Navy, and Air Force aircraft. He holds rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and powered lift pilot ratings. He has been a flight evaluator at the squadron, group, and MAJCOM level and has flown more than 100 Operation Enduring Freedom combat missions.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, with honors, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Experimental Test Pilot Course, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River NAS, Md.
2009 Masters of Business Administration, University of Maryland, University College, Md.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
- February 1999 – June 1999, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn.
- July 1999 – April 2000, Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla.
- May 2000 – December 2000, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training – Helicopter, Fort Rucker, Ala.
- January 2001 – May 2004, Instructor Pilot, Executive Officer, Chief of Sched, Life Supt Officer, 459th Airlift Squadron, Yokota, Japan
- June 2004 – June 2006, Chief of Helicopter Standardization and Evaluation, 90th Operations Group, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
- July 2006 – June 2007, Test Pilot Under Instruction, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River NAS, Md.
- July 2007 – September 2009, CV-22 Test Pilot, Rotary-wing Flight Commander, 413th Flight Test Sq, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
- October 2009 – April 2010, Missile Defense Strategic Planner, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
- May 2010 – May 2011, Deputy Chief of Flight Safety, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
- June 2011 – June 2012, Commander, Det 1, 838th Air Expeditionary Advisor Group, Herat AB, AFG.
- July 2012 – June 2014, Commander, Det 1, 413th Flight Test Squadron (CSAR CTF), Nellis AFB, Nev.
- July 2014 – June 2016, Commander, Flight Test Squadron, Data Masked
- July 2016 – July 2018, Deputy Commander, 96th Operations Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
- August 2018 – May 2019, Chief of Helicopter Operations and Training, A3V, Air Force Materiel Command, Eglin AFB, Fla.
- June 2019 – August 2021, Chief, Operating Location Hurlburt Field, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
- September 2021 – August 2022, Director of Safety, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.
- September 2022 – June 2024, Commander, 704th Test Group, Holloman, N.M.
- July 2024 – present, Deputy Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: Over 3,500 (245 Combat)
Aircraft flown: UH-1N, CV-22B, Mi-17, TH-6, C-12C/D, BE-1900, UH-60L/M, HH-60G/U/W and over 20 other types
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with “N” Device
Non-Article 5 NATO Medal (ISAF)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 27, 1999
First Lieutenant January 27, 2001
Captain January 27, 2003
Major September 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2014
Colonel October 1, 2021
(Current as of July 2024)
