Kent Douglas Lambert is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A United States Air Force veteran, Lambert was elected to the Colorado General Assembly as a Republican in 2006. Most recently, he represented Senate District 9, which encompasses northwest Colorado Springs, the United States Air Force Academy, Monument and Black Forest. Biography and early career Lambert attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he served on the Cadet Wing Staff and was chairman of the Cadet Professional Ethics Committee. He was commissioned from the academy in 1974, earning a B.S. in military history. Lambert served as a B-52 instructor pilot, and was director of battle staff for a B-52 wing. He rose from scientific analyst to division chief within the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency at The Pentagon and worked on policy studies for major military systems, including bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces. He was deputy defense intelligence officer for Europe in the Defense Intelligence Agency. Lambert worked as an attaché at several international postings, serving as the air attaché and deputy chief of military assistance program, in Amman, Jordan, and as the defense attaché and chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation, Stockholm, Sweden. He was assigned to Air Force Space Command in 2001 as deputy director of the Space Analysis Division, where his duties included support for investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. While in the military, Lambert graduated from the Air War College, earned a master's degree in international relations from the University of Southern California in 1981, a master's in strategic and tactical sciences from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1983, and a graduate studies certification in command, control, and communications from Air Force Institute of Technology. His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with star, and the Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster. He is also a lieutenant colonel with the Colorado Civil Air Patrol. Lambert and his wife, Gretchen, have three children and six grandchildren. He has served as a leader in several churches and was an Eagle Scout and scoutmaster. Political career Early campaigns After retiring from the Air Force at the rank of colonel in 2004, Lambert entered Colorado politics, challenging Michael Merrifield for the 18th house district seat in central Colorado Springs, losing