Commander bids farewell

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When Maj. Gen. David Eidsaune arrived here in January 2007, he only looked forward. Prior to his arrival, news of a potential move of the 46th Test Wing to Edwards AFB, Calif., caused considerable consternation. Once that plan was off the table, the general could focus on the mission of leading the Air Armament Center. 

The center changes leadership May 1, and General Eidsaune, who also wears the program executive officer hat, reflected on his tour and the challenges he faced while serving as its leader. He said Eglin's reputation was one reason he was glad to get the assignment. 

"Eglin was one of the places I really wanted to be," General Eidsaune said. "The reputation of Eglin was innovation, excellence, out-of-the box thinking and very smart people," he said. 

The general outlined his focus when he took command and that focus never waived during his tenure. 

"My focus has always been on three things: mission, people and safety," he said, "and I think we've done pretty well in those areas." 

General Eidsaune said he's received a lot of kudos from warfigthers on "what we're providing them in terms of weapons systems." He said the weapons portfolio is changing with the move to directed energy and laser weapons. He pointed out the amount of recognition the workforce receives at all levels and is pleased there have been very few serious accidents and injuries during his time here. 

"Plus, our Class B accidents, which result in lost work time, are significantly less than previous years, so I think the safety message is getting out," he said. 

The general admitted that executing the details of the Base Realignment and Closure Committee's directives to beddown new units here was the most time consuming part of his job. 

"On the surface, it would seem pretty easy to move units or stand up a new training center, but the devil's in the details and that is what the team has been working hard," he said. "All the stakeholders and services are getting along well--we all have the same vision of what needs to happen and we are working toward that goal. We're on schedule, on track, and I'm confident we can bring meet the BRAC deadline in 2011," he said. 

General Eidsaune also said he's proud of the progress being made in building a test enterprise across Air Force Materiel Command. 

"Based on my previous experience at Edwards, the three test centers would do their own thing without a lot of cross talk and sharing in lessons learned," he said. "Now they are all trying to embrace an enterprise approach, looking for mutual efficiencies in our processes across the board." 

General Eidsaune's third assignment at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, will be as the Director of Air, Space and Cyber Operations, which includes all of the flying operations and deployment processing for the command. He will also serve as the headquarters test and evaluation mission area focal point for three Air Force test organizations: Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.; Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold AFB, Tenn., and the 46th Test Wing. 

"I'm excited about the job," he said. "It's the one job on the staff where I can continue to fly and come back to Eglin periodically to watch AAC continue to build its great reputation." 

When the general considered the highlights of his tour here, he singled out the amount of community cooperation, which is at a level he said he's never seen in his thirty years of active service. And while he's aware of the concerns about the BRAC moves, "overall this community has been wonderful to Jane and I; we'll really miss that part of it," he concluded.