Welcome to the Air Force Institute of Technology

It’s a time of change at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Brig. Gen. Walter D. Givhan accepted leadership of AFIT from Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck, Air University Commander, during a ceremony on October 6. After two months in command, Col. Barry S. Mines will resume his role as Dean of the Civil Engineer School at AFIT.

Peck called AFIT one of Air University’s “crown jewels.” The general received his graduate degree in operations research at AFIT, and explained that “hardly a day goes by that I don’t find myself using the skills and the academic rigor that was instilled by this institution. So I’m personally familiar with the great work that’s done here.”

Turning to Givhan, Peck went on to say that while AFIT is a proud institution, it will need “great leadership and savvy and intelligence to get through some of the challenges that are coming ahead,” and declared that “Walt’s exactly the right guy.”

Givhan thanked Peck for the opportunity to command AFIT as part of the Air University team, saying, “It’s an honor and a pleasure to fly on your wing.”

The focus of Givhan’s comments was on the importance of educating soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilians. “The longer I serve, the better I understand the big picture—the history, hard work, and genius that goes into making our nation the leader in air, space, and cyberspace power—and the better I understand the role of institutions such as this one in making that come to pass,” he said. “AFIT plays an indispensible role in that ongoing development. I can personally attest to this having come from Afghanistan. I have seen firsthand what we bring to the fight and how that is deployed and the asymmetric advantage that it gives us as we conduct combat operations. And I can tell you it’s second to none—it’s indispensible and it saves American lives as well as coalition lives.

“For that reason and many others,” Givhan continued, “I have long been a fan of AFIT—its faculty, its students, and its achievements. My family and I are tremendously excited to be part of a team that can claim General Jimmy Doolittle, General George Kenney, and General Bernard Schriever among its many distinguished alumni. At AFIT, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Today, I count myself fortunate to stand shoulder to shoulder with the giants who compose this world-leading team. Its future is as bright as its heritage is proud.”