Colonel David P. Attard has been appointed Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta with effect from March 1, 2010.
The appointment follows the appointment of Brig Martin G Xuereb as Commander earlier this year.
Col Attard was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1988 and graduated from infantry colleges in Italy and the United States. He also achieved a masters degree in defence studies from King's College London and also qualified from the advanced command and staff college, Joint Services Staff College, UK.
He served as platoon commander with 1 Regiment and later commanded 'C' Special Duties Company, which he transformed into a quick reaction force and the elite unit of the AFM.
Col Attard more recently served as staff officer at AFM headquarters and headed the European Union Security Defence Policy and International Relations Branch. His last appointment was with the Defence Matters Directorate at the Office of the Prime Minister.