Col. Mark Hamilton, the new commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, outlined key challenges facing his airmen during his first presentation to the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning.

• Hamilton, who took command from Col. Patrick Dierig on Oct. 6, said traffic on Highway 98 poses safety concerns, quality of life issues and mission impacts for the installation.

“Traffic is really a threat to national security in Okaloosa County,” Hamilton said. “When we measure our success in minutes – the ability to launch in a moment’s notice – the inability to get to work becomes a threat to our ability to execute that mission.”

Hamilton cited the example of a major who flew on a 2024 Haiti support mission. The officer received a phone call while playing at a park with his daughter and was at Hurlburt Field within 90 minutes, deploying for four months.

• “He kissed his daughter at the park, handed her over to his sister, and did not come back for four months,” Hamilton said. “The training and the level of precision and excellence that we demand out of our folks to go support not just the joint force and SOCOM, but at the behest of the President.”

The colonel said he cannot give personnel more money or time off, but works to be efficient with their time.

“One of the things that I love to do is be efficient with their time, and traffic certainly impacts that,” Hamilton said.

Rising housing prices are compounding the traffic problem by forcing airmen to live farther from the base. Hamilton showed Commissioners a map indicating that some personnel now live in areas like Crestview and Milton.

• “What I would offer is that also creates another challenge because that now feeds folks to central locations where they have to get to the installation on key roads, and that just increases traffic,” Hamilton said.

He thanked the county for approving a $4 million ‘collector road’ traffic study to find relief options for both airmen and the local community west of Hurlburt. The installation is also pursuing creative solutions for affordable housing on base and expressed gratitude for partnership opportunities outside the gate.

Access to childcare presents another significant challenge for the wing’s personnel, many of whom are at life stages where they are having children, according to Col. Hamilton. The demanding mission and operational hours make finding childcare particularly difficult.

“When you combine that with the mission that we do, the hours that we operate, access to childcare is difficult,” Hamilton said.

• The installation is developing opportunities and ideas for an additional child development center on base and looks forward to continued partnership with the county to find community solutions.

Hamilton also identified mental health resources as a priority area. He noted that while the installation provides mental health resources for service members, accessing mental health care for family members and children is more difficult.

“We do a hard mission,” Hamilton said. “The mental health resources are really for our families and our children. The installation provides those resources for the members, but the opportunities and the scheduling for our family members to have access to mental health is a challenge.”

Hamilton introduced himself as the son of a Marine with a family history of military service spanning multiple branches. He has been married for 16 years and has two children.

The colonel said Hurlburt Field is the third-largest installation in the Air Force, with more than 20,000 people working on base and over 40 mission partners. The 1st Special Operations Wing includes about 5,000 personnel and operates MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, AC-130 gunships and two MC-130J squadrons.

• Hamilton said the installation projects specialized air power across the globe on behalf of U.S. Special Operations Command and must be ready to respond in minutes.

Hurlburt Field was the Commander’s first duty station and is now his assignment again as he reaches the 21-22 year mark in his career. 

“Beyond being obviously a military installation that resides within your county, we like to think of ourselves as your neighbors and partners,” Hamilton said. “We attend your churches. We shop at your Publix. We go to your schools and the partnership with Okaloosa County is stronger than ever.”