Photo By Staff Sgt. Keith Thornburgh | Arnold Engineering Development Complex Commander Col. Grant Mizell discusses his...... read more read more
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Until about 20 years ago, Arnold Engineering Development Complex Commander Col. Grant Mizell’s knowledge of the complex reflected that of most Americans.
“Before my career in test, I was like most people in the United States Air Force and most people across the United States,” he said. “I didn’t even have the knowledge that Arnold Air Force Base existed.
“Once I was in test, I started hearing the rumors. I started hearing about this place called Arnold out in Tennessee, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I first got to drive past Arnold and kind of see where it was.”
Mizell’s view of Arnold is now much closer than that of a cursory glance from the window of a passing vehicle. On June 13th, he became the 33rd commander of AEDC, headquartered at Arnold AFB.
He said the experience thus far has been very positive.
“I am incredibly excited to be here at AEDC,” he said. “This is a dream job, to be part of this enterprise, not only for the rich history of AEDC but because of the people here who really have the mission focus in mind… the people here who often times, generationally, have been involved in the national security of our country.
“When I look at AEDC, I know that we are still in good hands, that we have a bright future ahead of us. So being able to come join this team, being able to be part of this incredible enterprise, is the greatest privilege I can possibly ask for.”
As AEDC commander, he leads a complex that employees more than 3,000 people and comprises aerospace test facilities across seven states.
Along with the facilities at its Arnold AFB headquarters, the geographically separated units, GSUs, of AEDC include facilities at Edwards Air Force Base, California; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 at White Oak, Maryland; the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at Moffett Field, California; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
“No matter how much one studies up on the AEDC complex and the AEDC capability, I don’t think it ever prepares a person to hit the ground, put boots on ground, here and at our GSUs, and see the actual people doing the actual job,” Mizell said. “I am amazed at the number of wind tunnels, arcs, engine test cells, space test facilities, down to Holloman with the track, the radar test facilities, the navigational test facilities.
“The diversity of what we do, the number of experts that we have and, quite frankly, the global assets in human capital that we are able to deliver to our frontline troops, to our combat capability and to the American public is just astounding.”
Since assuming command of AEDC, Mizell has worked to further familiarize himself with the complex and its capabilities. And while he is learning more every day, Mizell noted that one thing he quickly determined is that AEDC is invaluable to national security. He explained that one of his objectives is to partner with the men and women of AEDC to increase the complex’s value to the warfighter wherever possible.
“I am even more amazed being on the ground and seeing, in-person, the capability that this institution is able to turn out,” Mizell said. “I believe that the tight contractor-government relationship is a very, very special thing that we must protect. I believe that relationship is so long-running that it would be very difficult to duplicate this capability anywhere else.”
Before taking command of AEDC, Mizell was deputy commander of the Air Force Test Center, headquartered at Edwards AFB. AEDC is a unit of the AFTC. In that role, Mizell was tasked with looking at capabilities across the AFTC and making recommendations on where the Air Force could make continued investment and recapitalize mission infrastructure, responsibilities that prepared him to take on the post of AEDC commander.
“The benefit of coming down from the headquarters is that it brings another perspective to this team,” Mizell said. “That perspective allows us to communicate better to our headquarters, communicate better to our elected officials, communicate better to our headquarters in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon, and also message in collaboration with the Air Force, message our adversaries, and message our competitors overseas.
“I hopefully can bring a unique perspective to the team – where we can improve, where we can message better and where we can further our benefit to the larger Air Force enterprise.”
As AFTC Deputy Commander, Mizell took his first tour of Arnold AFB.
“At that time, I knew, I could see how special this institution was,” he said, “but I knew from my role as AFTC Deputy Commander that this was something that the test institution, the Air Force Test Center and that Air Force Materiel Command really needed to continue to invest in.”
Mizell sees Arnold as a “unique animal” that produces a capability unlike any other in the United States military and will continue to be prioritized within Defense funding.
“I am incredibly optimistic in the future of our country,” Mizell said. “I am incredibly optimistic in the future of the United States Air Force. It’s my goal to work every single day to be the best possible steward and the best possible partner in everything we do. I know that AEDC, our entire enterprise, is a piece of that larger effort. I know that we’re of great value in the capability that we produce. I know that we’re of great value to the warfighter, and I know that we’re of great value to the American people.”
Mizell echoed this sentiment when discussing the AEDC GSUs. Since taking this seat, Mizell has visited the AEDC facilities at Holloman AFB. Previously, he was also able to observe the AEDC facilities at Wright-Patterson AFB, the wind tunnels at NFAC, and the mission at Hill AFB, sites that he hopes return to in the near future.
Mizell said these operating locations and the other GSUs that comprise AEDC are a testament to the multifaceted workforce and its processes, as each operates independently yet collaboratively within the complex. Mizell described the GSUs as agile and efficient despite operating with smaller crews, as the impact each has on the AEDC mission, and the Air Force as a whole is outsized.
“They bring incredible value to the American taxpayer, and they bring incredible capability to the warfighter,” Mizell said. “One of our goals here is to make sure that we do nothing but support that capability because it really is high value to the American public.”
A self-described lifelong “technophile,” Mizell said he has always kept an eye on developing technologies throughout his 25-year Air Force career. He added AEDC will play an integral role in the development of technologies needed to keep pace with adversaries and keep Americans safe.
“I find it fascinating how innovative humanity is, and whether that’s our innovation, the people of America’s innovation or global innovation, the world always moves forward,” Mizell said. “Technology is neither good nor evil. It is going to be used by whoever gets their hands on it for a particular purpose, but technology itself will continue to advance whether or not one is choosing to use it.
“Our competitors are advancing technology at an astounding rate. Arnold is one of the few places in our enterprise, one of the few places in the Department of Defense where we are rivaling that technological advancement, where we are learning how to use new equipment, how to adapt new materiel solutions and how to enter new domains that we have not previously operated in. It is a huge responsibility for the people of AEDC to deliver that technology to the people of America so that it may be used for good purposes, for the purpose of maintaining global, international norms rather than those norms that might be supplanted by other people who will achieve the same technology.”
The new commander has set a goal for himself, stating he wishes to play a role in positioning the 73-year-old complex for continued success over the ensuing 70 years. He said one way this can be accomplished is by encouraging improvements to the AEDC mission while exploring new opportunities to bolster capabilities.
“There are always new frontiers that we can engage in to make sure that we’re constantly evolving, that we’re constantly adapting and that we’re constantly delivering exactly what the warfighter needs, not just this year, but three, five, 10 and 30 years out.
“My goal is to focus on a few of those capabilities that we can really reinvigorate and ensure that our vision is set for multiple decades in the future rather than at past wars. It’s my desire to help leverage this workforce – help leverage this workforce’s incredible knowledge to determine how the next war will be fought, how we will deter our adversaries and how Arnold can play the largest impact.”
Middle Tennessee is quite the scenic contrast to the landscape of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, where the Mizell family previously resided. Dense groves of pine and hardwood trees have taken the place of Joshua Trees and creosote. Mizell said the move to Arnold has only furthered his appreciation of the diverse ecosystems America has to offer. And while he and his family enjoyed hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and surrounding deserts, they are looking forward to further exploring this part of the country.
“The Smokies, the beautiful lake that we have here – I can tell Tennessee is going to be an amazing place to be,” he remarked.
“The people of Tennessee are truly great people; they’re incredibly welcoming. We’re humbled to get to have the opportunity to spend time with the people of Tennessee, and we’re grateful how incredibly kind and friendly the people here are. I can’t wait to build more of those relationships, and I really can’t wait to get out in the outdoors quite a bit more and hike through a lot of this terrain and just enjoy the local environment in our off time.”
Mizell said he is also looking forward to working further with AEDC and leadership in his new role and is eager to meet more members of Team AEDC.
“The message that I would love for AEDC to hear, the people of AEDC to hear, is that this mission is important. This mission is unique,” Mizell said. “Those who choose to serve here in the beautiful state of Tennessee in the local area of Arnold, in the beautiful state of New Mexico in the local area of Alamogordo and White Sands Missile Range, and at all of our locations, those people who choose to take that service are great patriots. They are doing amazing work.
“So I want to thank every single person who gives service to their country, every single Airman – and when I say Airman it is every active-duty member, every uniformed service member, every civilian and every contractor who contributes to the United States Air Force, the United States Space Force, to the defense of their nation - thank you to each of them. Thank you to every single Airman we have here.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2024 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 477933 |
| Location: | ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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