New commander for Rocket Lab Published Aug. 19, 2016 By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Pictured: Maj. Gen. Robert McMurry, Air Force Research Laboratory commander, and Col. Anne L. Clark, pose for a photo while holding the unit guidon as Clark becomes the new commander of Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate Detachment 7 here at Edwards. A change of command ceremony was held at the “Rocket Lab” Aug. 11 where Col. Patrick Davis (far right) relinquished command to Clark. Davis heads on to a new assignment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, home to AFRL headquarters. Clark comes to the High Desert after serving as the military assistant to the chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force in Washington D.C. She is now responsible for the work and wellbeing of 500 military, civilian and contractor personnel at the laboratory's $2.5 billion, 65-square-mile research site. She also directs safety, security and logistics compliance activities supporting research and development operations valued at over $110 million per year. Her experience spans a variety of acquisition, technology and academic assignments. The Edwards research site for AFRL emphasizes space and missile propulsion technology research. AFRL can claim that nearly every U.S. rocket-propelled system used today for tactical, ballistic launch, space launch and space operations can trace propulsion technology back to the Edwards site.