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Golden West Humanitarian Foundation is proud to welcome David Gerig to the team as Program Manager, EOD Weapons/Ammunition Destruction Operations, Cambodia. David joins us after a distinguished 23-year career in the United States Air Force, bringing with him deep operational expertise in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM), training development, mission leadership and multinational capacity building across some of the world’s most complex environments.
US Air Force & EOD Training
David entered the Air Force in July 2002 and completed his EOD training in 2003 at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Over the course of his service, he completed eight deployments in support of combat and contingency operations, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Albania, Germany, and Zambia. Those years gave him a rare breadth of experience, from frontline operational EOD work to senior leadership, strategic planning, and international security cooperation.
His early career included operational assignments at Kadena Air Base, Japan and Scott Air Force Base, USA, where he built a strong reputation in munitions management, training, range safety, quality assurance, and anti-terrorism. Within 18-months of graduating EOD school, David deployed to Afghanistan, an experience that became one of the defining points in his development as an EOD technician. That early exposure to combat operations, the realities of war, and the responsibility placed on EOD personnel helped sharpen his technical judgment and prepare him for a future as an EOD Team Leader.
At Luke, he served as Quality Assurance Section Chief and Range Safety Officer for the Barry M. Goldwater Range, leading EOD personnel and overseeing the destruction of more than 52,000 hazardous munitions without a safety incident. He also established a new unit Quality Assurance Program and helped strengthen inspection, compliance, and emergency response systems. These roles reflected a pattern that would continue throughout his career: combining technical competence with leadership, structure, and a strong focus on improving systems for the long term.
Bronze Star – Afghanistan
David’s operational service included multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as an EOD Team Leader, where he led high-risk EOD operations involving improvised explosive devices, explosive hazards, and enemy munitions. He operated in combat environments in direct support of U.S. and multinational forces, including multi-day missions to secure heavily contested areas and enable broader combat operations. Throughout these deployments, he helped develop tactics, techniques, and procedures to counter evolving terrorist threats.
His service earned significant recognition, including the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and multiple commendation and achievement awards. Those honours reflect not only his experience in combat, but also the consistency of his leadership under pressure.
Entering the World of Humanitarian Mine Action
In the later years of his Air Force career, David moved increasingly into the humanitarian and international security space. From 2019 to 2023, he served as the HMA military lead for EUCOM and AFRICOM at Ramstein Air Base, where he directed EOD and PSSM missions across 14 countries and managed 30 EOD teams. He worked closely with combatant commands, embassies, ministries of defence, and partner forces to strengthen national capabilities.
David’s first major role in HMA was serving for three years as Country Lead for Kosovo’s HMA EOD program. He helped establish the Kosovo Security Force’s EOD training site and supported the development of country-specific curriculum, policy, and training standards that were implemented at the national level. The assignment became a defining point in his career, marking his transition from operational EOD leadership into long-term institutional capacity building, doctrine development, and partner-nation training.
Physical Security & Stockpile Management
During this same period, David helped develop and deliver HDTC’s EOD Levels 1, 2, and 3 curriculum, the PSSM Foundation Course, and assessment tools that were applied across 20 countries and five combatant commands. He later led Zambia’s five-year strategic planning effort for PSSM, overseeing the development of a 24-chapter course and supporting the training of Zambian Army and Air Force personnel in ammunition life cycle management and international technical guidelines.
David’s final duty station was Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he served from 2023 – 2025 as EOD Flight Chief, managing a 23-person flight. He also continued to support PSSM efforts in Africa. This final assignment brought together the full scope of his career: operational leadership, personnel management, technical expertise, and international capacity building.
An Innovation Mindset
Alongside this, David built a strong reputation for innovation. During his time in service, he established an Innovation and 3D Prototyping Section to support operational readiness and mission adaptation, and became an early advocate for the use of emerging technologies to solve practical field problems. That combination of technical creativity and operational realism makes him a particularly strong fit for Golden West’s work, where innovation must always serve real-world outcomes in safety, disposal, and capacity development.
Joining The Cambodia Team
Now in Cambodia, David is applying that experience to Golden West’s weapon and ammunition destruction work, including the development of weapons melting operations that support safe disposal, reduce the risk of recirculation, and create practical value from recovered material. He will further strengthen our ability to deliver practical, technically sound, forward-looking solutions in complex operating environments.
What stands out throughout David’s career is the range of it. He has operated at every level, from frontline EOD response and combat deployment to multinational programme leadership, innovation, training design, and partner nation development. That combination of field credibility, leadership experience, and humanitarian focus adds real strength to the Golden West team.
Welcome to the Team David!
We are very pleased to welcome David Gerig to Golden West Humanitarian Foundation and look forward to the experience, leadership, and practical insight he brings to our operations in Cambodia and beyond.
