Davis reflects on tenure as Eglin's top commander

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Looking back over the last two years as commander of the Air Armament Center and Program Executive Officer for Weapons, Major General CR Davis recently reflected on his tenure in the top position here. He moves on to become the commander of the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

Davis arrived in May 2009 after spending almost three years as the PEO of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. His background in development and acquisition made for a smooth transition into the AQ portion of his position. He faced many of the same issues he previously faced, such as programs that needed to be completed quickly to support the warfighter. However, being part of the full source selection process was a first.

"In my other jobs, I came in just before, somewhere in the middle, or at the end of the process," Davis said.

The general said the acquisition process was just a part of what made his job distinctive. He was fortunate to see the acquisition side blend directly with the test side of the mission. It is a unique aspect of being the center commander here as well as the PEO that, according to Davis, is just priceless.

"I could go in one day and have a meeting on an issue with a weapon, go out the next day and support the flight test mission in an F-16 and take a look at the problem with that weapon," he said. "It is so rare to do that and so useful. The next day, I could go to (Washington) D.C. to talk to them about the weapon. I could tell them exactly what's going on because I saw it. No other PEO in the Air Force can do that, not a one."

Davis said the one problem that worries him is continued budget shortfalls. He said the acquisition budget has been an on-going issue and "we've just learned to deal with that." His main concern is the operating and maintenance budget that does not keep up with the infrastructure upgrades needed as missions here grow and more people arrive at Eglin.

"We've just about wrung out all the major efficiencies, so now it's time to do things differently," Davis said.

The general cited several monetary IDEA awards and good people who look for different ways to tackle initiatives.

"The only way to get through this is to get folks to come up with small savings and to do more with the little budget we have," he said. "But in the end, we have a challenge to help DoD understand that they've grown Eglin in ways that were never planned. Somehow, someone is going to have to figure out how we get this base supported at the level that matches the mission and activity going on here. It's not just an AFMC base with a test wing. It's a DoD resource with multiple wings and multiple missions cutting across multiple services and multiple commands. It's not funded and resourced to do that."
The general said he expects the focus on the warfighter's needs to drive weapon development with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate playing a key role. Near and long-term threats keep propelling them forward.

"We already know some of the most advanced weapons will be obsolete 10-15 years from now because the threat has changed. We have major efforts going on for major programs in air-to-air and air-to-ground that we know we're going to need because the threat will outpace us," Davis said. "We really are looking at all phases of the spectrum of our weapons roadmap."

The general said he is amazed at the amount of activity that happened in the past two years. Between the fast pace and diversity, he is glad to have the chance to serve here.

"New missions, weapons and military construction, that's a mix that's been nice to see," he said. "The F-35 facility is complete and running, the Army's 7th Special Forces Group's complex is almost finished, and AF Special Operations Command continues to grow," he said. "I got to see the Fisher House built, hospital renovations and new childcare facilities; it's really nice to be part of that. We've taken some major weapons through source selection successfully."

Davis said there are a lot of challenges for the future, and he'll miss being at the center of it. He said there are a lot of moving parts to juggle and a lot of work ahead to maintain an operational day-to-day mission for everyone here.

"We built it; now we have to figure out how to run it, integrate, operate, make them all fit together and support all the partners here. It's been a fantastic couple of years and I'll definitely miss the mix of it. Hanscom will definitely be challenging but not as diverse as Eglin."