An Electromagnetic Spectrum and Cyber Threat Week poster is displayed near the entrance to the auditorium at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio on Sept. 25, 2023. (Kristof Rixmann/Air Force)
(Tribune News Service) — The National Space Intelligence Center welcomed its third commander Thursday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Col. Patrick Hamlin, a former squadron commander at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, also at Wright-Patterson, took command of the NSIC during a change-of-command ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The NSIC focuses on gathering intelligence that helps the nation protect space assets, primarily satellite, communication and GPS systems, while deterring adversaries in what is increasingly seen as a global battlefield, space.
Col. Marcus Starks relinquished command to Hamlin during a ceremony presided over by Maj. Gen. Brian Sidari, deputy chief of space operations for intelligence for the U.S. Space Force.
Sidari praised NSIC guardians and staff, saying they served “during an era that demands undeniable United States space superiority.”
He commended Starks — a former Navy officer who retired after the ceremony — for shepherding the NSIC during a time of fast Space Force growth and stress.
Starks recalled how NSIC colleagues formed a food pantry during a 43-day federal government shutdown last year, a lapse in government funding of record duration. Even as members of the military were going unpaid, they still had to counter Chinese lasers and spy satellites, as well as Russian anti-satellite technology.
“When the paycheck stopped, the threat did not stop — and neither did you,” Starks said.
Hamlin thanked Wright-Patt professionals and community members for welcoming him, and told assembled Space Force guardians, “I can’t wait to get into the trenches with you.”
Beyond his service at NASIC, Hamlin has served as chief of warfighter support, at the Space Force Directorate for Intelligence at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va.
There, he was responsible for intelligence career field management of some 1,500 officers, enlisted, and civilian guardians.
Hamlin started his military career as an enlisted signals analyst, earning an officer’s commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of North Texas in December 2006. He is a career intelligence professional.
The NSIC has some 530 military and civilian employees.
It’s change-of-command season at Wright- Patterson. A change-of-command event for NASIC is scheduled for Friday, July 10, as well as the retirement ceremony for Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
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