Director's Office
Lt. Col. Brian “Flubes” Hansell, U.S. Marines, joined DARPA in July 2026 as the Marine Corps Operational Liaison and Special Assistant to the Director. Hansell previously commanded Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542, deploying to the Middle East as part of the Immediate Response Force in May 2025. He has served as a staff officer within Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation working F-35 transition planning and future capabilities development, and has instructed F-35 employment and joint integration at the Marine Corps weapons school (MAWTS-1).
Hansell has held the highest tactical qualifications in both the F/A-18 and F-35, and has accumulated more than 2,500 flying hours with combat deployments in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, ROUGH RIDER, and MIDNIGHT HAMMER.
Education
- M.S., National Security Strategy, National War College
- B.S., Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University