Life Cycle Industry Days takes off Monday, with SecAF keynote Tuesday
The event unites Air Force and defense industry leaders.
Arguably the premier event connecting the defense industry to the people at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (and beyond) who keep the Air Force flying, Life Cycle Industry Days kicks off Monday at the Dayton Convention Center.
Among the highlights in store for attendees next week: A keynote address from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Tuesday morning.
The event comes at a crucial time, as service leaders seek to “reoptimize” the branch for competition with rival powers, China and Russia chief among them. This will entail a sweeping, carefully watched reconfiguration for both the Air Force and the Space Force.
“More than ever, it’s important for both industry and the Air Force to collaborate,” said Sean Hennessey, who coordinates the event, sometimes called simply “LCID.”
The idea behind the threeday event is simple: The Air Force brings its needs, plans and standards, and industry brings its wares and capabilities. The two sides get together and cooperation ensues.
On the agenda (which is subject to change) are remarks from Lt. Gen. David A. Harris, the deputy chief of staff, Air Force Futures; Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command; as well as one-on-one sessions with program executive officers behind Air Force bombers, cyber systems, presidential aircraft, propulsion technologies and much else.
How Wright-Patterson fares in the upcoming Air Force reoptimization is a fundamental question for the branch and the Dayton area. Wright-Patt is home to the men and women who research, design, procure and sustain the air combat weapons and equipment the Air Force needs.
The biggest command at Wright-Patterson, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) — of which of Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) is a part — employs nearly 89,000 uniformed and civilian employes and manages $80.2 billion of budget authority. Both AFMC and AFLCMC are headquartered at Wright-Patterson.
Wright-Patterson itself has more than 35,000 military and civilian employees, making it the largest single site of employment in the state of Ohio.
Hennessey praised the convention center’s $45 million in renovation. That work started in 2022 and is expected to be completed early next year.
“It’s given us more capabilities to make this event easier and more streamlined,” he said in an interview. “It looks like an amazing new convention center. When we come in, and the industry sees that, and the collaboration we can do with audio and visuals, it’s important.”
More information about LCID can be found at https://daytondefense. org/LCID.