Erik Hansen is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and commander of the 437th airlift wing. Hansen previously worked as a special advisor to the secretary of transportation in the U.S. Department of Transportation. He speaks German and has received MS degrees from the U.S. Army War College in 1998, the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2002, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2002. BA, international relations, 1998