Col. Platt assumes command of AFRL, Det 7, at Edwards Published July 28, 2010 By Stephen K. Robinson 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Lt. Col. Michael H. Platt assumed command of Air Force Research Laboratory, Propulsion Directorate, Detachment 7 during a formal Air Force assumption of command ceremony July 27. He will serve as Associate Director and Detachment 7 Commander. In this capacity, he is responsible for the safety, security and logistics for an annual $120 miliion research and devolopment program involving more than 500 personnel and 65 square miles of facilities valued in excess of $2.5 billion. Colonel Platt comes to AFRL from Defense Technology Security Administration where he served as the military assistant to the director. Prior to that, Colonel Platt served as Senior Engineer, Missile & Space Team, Technology Directorate, Defense Technology Security Administration, Alexandria, Va.; deputy commander, 39th Mission Support Group, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; Commander, 39th Services Squadron, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; Chief, Wing Operations Center, 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; and as Deputy Chief, Wing Operations Center, 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Colonel Platt is no stranger to Southern California as he served at Los Angeles Air Force Base, August 1989 to June 1994. Colonel Platt received his commission in the Air Force in May 1989 after earning his Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. In 1993, he earned a Master's in Business Administration from Chapman University and a Masters in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in 1995. Additionally, Colonel Platt is a 2001 graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and a 2005 Air War College graduate. Colonel Platt's decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal.