NATIONAL SECURITY & TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP
Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton is a national security expert, technology executive, and global voice on leadership in the age of artificial intelligence.
- Host of one of the world’s leading aviation podcasts, Fighter Pilot Podcast
- U.S. delegate with the Brookings Institution engaging China on the ethics of AI and autonomy
- Technology executive who has helped scale six AI/autonomy companies to 10–30x valuation growth
- Advisory Board Chair to Gravity Industries, the world’s only operational Jet Suit company
- Founder of STEM-ED, a nonprofit leading the National Aerospace Robotics Competition
A high school dropout turned fighter test pilot, Tucker now speaks globally on leadership, human–machine teaming, and navigating disruption in an era defined by exponential technology.
MILITARY LEADERSHIP & AVIATION EXPERIENCE
Tucker is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, fighter test pilot, and international leader in artificial intelligence and autonomy.
Over more than 20 years of service, he flew 30+ aircraft, including all three variants of the F-35, and logged 82 combat missions.
Tucker has:
- Commanded the largest flight test organization in modern aviation
- Helped establish and lead the Department of the Air Force–MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator
- Served as the inaugural Chief of AI Test and Operations for the Department of the Air Force
- Delivered the F-35 into operational service
- Served as initial cadre on the MC-12W in combat
- Oversaw hypersonic weapons testing
- Led transformative advancements in small uncrewed systems
He also flew on the wing of a high-performance uncrewed aircraft when — for the first time in aviation history — an AI agent took control of a high-performance drone in flight.
Leadership at the Edge of Human and Machine Performance
From ejecting after a midair collision, to landing a damaged fighter jet on a runway, to leading teams responsible for integrating artificial intelligence into operational military systems, Tucker’s career has been defined by one question:
How do humans perform when the margin for error disappears?
Today, that question is no longer confined to the cockpit.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to share decision space with humans — in business, in national security, and in daily life. The challenge facing leaders is no longer whether to adopt advanced technology, but how to do so while preserving judgment, trust, and accountability.
Tucker’s work sits at that intersection.
He advises organizations on:
- Leadership in high-consequence environments
- Human–machine teaming
- Decision-making under pressure
- Trust and accountability in autonomous systems
- Organizational performance in the face of technological disruption
Through his writing, speaking, and advisory work, he helps leaders unlock what he calls “the last 20%” — the discipline, resilience, and balance required to perform when complexity increases and certainty disappears.
Colonel (ret.) Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton is an experimental fighter test pilot, national security expert, and internationally recognized leader in artificial intelligence and autonomy. He most recently served as the inaugural Chief of AI Test and Operations for the Department of the Air Force, helping to guide the safe integration of artificial intelligence into operational military systems.
Hamilton is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with more than 20 years of service and over 2,200 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft, including all three variants of the F-35. His operational career began as an F-15C pilot, where he supported multiple Red Flag exercises and real-world Operation Noble Eagle missions defending the homeland — at times escorting Air Force One and protecting the President of the United States.
He later served as an Air Liaison Officer in Germany, where he became Director of Operations for a key command and control squadron. While overseas, Hamilton was hand-selected as initial cadre for the first MC-12W squadron in Afghanistan, helping to operationalize one of the military’s first tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircraft. Serving as a Chief Instructor, he accumulated more than 400 combat hours directly supporting ground forces in theater.
Following his combat tour, Hamilton attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, where he participated in the initial testing of the Automatic Air Collision Avoidance System (Auto-ACAS). After graduation, he served as an F-15C and F-15E Instructor Experimental Test Pilot before moving to the Pentagon as a Program Manager for the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35). In that role, he oversaw the flight test enterprise for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, managing an 18-aircraft fleet of specially instrumented F-35s across multiple operating locations.
Hamilton later commanded the F-35 Integrated Test Force, the largest flight test organization in modern aviation, responsible for the developmental flight test of all three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter across the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. He subsequently commanded the 96th Operations Group at Eglin Air Force Base, overseeing the flight test of 18 additional platforms, including next-generation hypersonic weapons and the first AI-enabled high-performance uncrewed systems.
He went on to serve as Director of the Department of the Air Force–MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator in Cambridge, Massachusetts — the Air Force’s first dedicated AI unit — helping bridge the gap between advanced machine learning research and operational military capability. Through his leadership, the Department advanced the integration of autonomous systems across mission sets ranging from small uncrewed aircraft to next-generation weapons and decision-support technologies. He also flew on the wing of a high-performance uncrewed aircraft when, for the first time in aviation history, an AI agent took control of a high-performance drone in flight.
Across his career, Hamilton has flown more than 30 aircraft, including frontline fighter platforms such as the F-35A/B/C, F-15C/D/E/EX, F-16, F/A-18, A-10, AC-130, MH-139, MC-12, and HH-60W.
Today, Hamilton advises emerging technology companies working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomy, and national security, and serves as Advisory Board Chair for Gravity Industries, the world’s only operational Jet Suit company, where he is also among the first American pilots qualified to fly the system.
In addition to his work in technology and national security, Hamilton is the founder of STEM-ED, a nonprofit organization that runs the National Aerospace Robotics Competition — connecting students with engineers, pilots, and technologists to inspire the next generation of innovators in aviation and autonomy.
A high school dropout turned fighter test pilot, Hamilton now speaks globally on leadership, human–machine teaming, and how individuals and organizations can perform at their best in environments defined by complexity, risk, and rapid technological change.
Education
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, 2002
M.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Tennessee, 2009
M.S. Flight Test Engineering, USAF Test Pilot School, 2012 Strategic Studies Military Fellow, MIT, 2019
Harvard Business School Alumni, Program for Leadership Development, 2022
Notable Achievements
National Aeronautics Association Collier Trophy Recipient, 2019
Society of Experimental Test Pilots Annual Herman Salmon Award,
2017 USAF STEM Contributor of the Year, 2016
Ten Outstanding Young American Award,
2015 USAF ISR Officer Contributor of the Year, 2010
University of Colorado Thomas Jefferson Award, 2002