Lt. Gen. David Julazadeh retired in May 2024 after serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Supreme Allied Command Transformation (SACT), headquartered in Norfolk, VA. In this role, he was responsible for shaping operational and strategic capability requirements across 32 NATO member nations. Additionally, he acted as SACT’s Innovation Representative, and served as the cross-functional Champion for the Air and Space Domains as well as NATO’s Command and Control, Cooperative Cyber Defense, and Joint Air Power Competence Centers of Excellence. Commissioned through ROTC after graduating from Kansas University in 1990, Lt. Gen. Julazadeh entered the U.S. Air Force and served as an F-16 Instructor Pilot, Functional Check Flight Pilot, and Flight Examiner. He logged over 2,500 flight hours, including 600 combat hours in operations Provide Comfort, Deny Flight, Northern Watch, Allied Force, and Freedom's Sentinel. He also contributed to Operation Uphold Democracy while serving as an Air Liaison Officer with the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Throughout his distinguished career, Lt. Gen. Julazadeh held key positions at the Numbered Air Force, Major Command, Headquarters Air Force, NATO, U.S. Central Command, and Office of the Secretary of Defense. His command experience spans the flight, squadron, and wing levels— twice as a wing commander.