Chief Operational Test Director
Capt. Clif "Cornbread" Coleman
Capt. Coleman detached from his most recent assignment as the Commanding Officer of U.S. Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School (CAEWWS) at Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center in July 2023 and reported to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 in August 2023 as the Chief Operational Test Director.
A native of Humboldt, Tennessee, Coleman was commissioned in May 2001 via the NROTC scholarship program at the University of Memphis and was designated a naval flight officer in October 2003. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Coleman’s operational assignments include tours with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 126 as a junior officer, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 as the command, control, communications, computers and intelligence officer and assistant operations officer, VAW-126 as a department head, and VAW-126 as the commanding officer. He has deployed and served onboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and Inherent Resolve, as well as Joint Task Force-Katrina, Exercises Saxon Warrior 2011 and Trident Juncture 2018, and the Navy’s first-ever dynamic force employment deployment in 2018 as part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8.
Ashore, Coleman served as an instructor naval flight officer and Commander, Naval Air Force’s (CNAF) NATOPS evaluator at VAW-120 fleet replacement squadron (FRS). In February 2015, he reported as the VAW, VRC, VT Strike, and inter-service personnel exchange program (PEP) placement officer at Naval Personnel Command, PERS-43 (aviation officer assignments) in Millington, Tennessee.
Coleman has logged more than 3,000 hours and 650 carrier arrested landings in the Hawkeye. His personal decorations include Meritorious Service Medal, Strike/Flight Air Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards) as well as other unit, campaign, and service awards.