FORT HOOD — Harker Heights resident John W. Diem will be promoted into the senior executive service as civilian executive director of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command in a ceremony at its headquarters on post at 2 p.m. Friday.

Diem will become the only senior executive service member at Fort Hood, and just as the OTC commander, Brig. Gen. John C. Ulrich has a one-star general officer flown at his events, Diem will uncase an executive service flag of his own.

His new promotion is the federal civilian equivalent to a one-star general officer.

Diem has been the command’s acting executive director for several months and previously was in charge of the unit’s Test Technology Directorate, which predicts and manages the technology required to collect data from Army systems during operational testing.

He began his career service as an Army commissioned officer and became a test officer in 1982. Diem holds a Master of Science degree in Geography and a Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in History, both from Texas A&M University.