Army Colonel Retires With National Recognition

By Ms. Cherish Washington (AMC)May 22, 2014

Col. Christopher B. Carlile Retires, 21 May 2014
Col. Christopher B. Carlile, special assistant to the Army Materiel Command's commanding general received the National Defense Industrial Association's Leadership Excellence Award as he celebrated his retirement in a ceremony at AMC headquarters May ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A former depot commander and five-combat tour veteran retired from 29 years of service with national recognition for his strategic guidance and lasting contributions to the joint warfighter.

Col. Christopher B. Carlile, special assistant to the Army Materiel Command's commanding general received the National Defense Industrial Association's Leadership Excellence Award as he celebrated his retirement in a ceremony at AMC headquarters May 21.

NDIA bestows the honor on those who have contributed significantly to the defense posture or technology advancement for at least 15 years.

Carlile, a native of Paragould, Arkansas with more than two decades of support to the warfighter, met and exceeded those expectations.

Gen. Dennis L. Via, Army Materiel Command's commander, referred to Carlile as a great Soldier, outstanding aviator and a great leader.

Carlile, who studied under business management author and Harvard educator John Kotter's methodology, previously served as battalion commander of the 1-223d Aviation Regiment and deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker; and director of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence and commander of Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas.

The NDIA nomination recognized Carlile as one who fostered and instituted change in every organization he led throughout his career.

During the ceremony, Via gave examples of Carlile's leadership."While at Corpus Christi Army Depot - one of AMC's crown jewels - Carlile executed a complete business reorganization."

Corpus Christi Army Depot had not been restructured in 50 years. The results were a nearly $400 million increase of revenue despite having 600 fewer employees.

The nomination said Carlile's efforts at Corpus Christi Army Depot left an indelible mark on the Army Aviation enterprise during a time when cost-effective measures were critical to support the war effort.

Via said it was Carlile's successes that set him up for his most recent assignment where he completed a comprehensive review of the Organic Industrial Base.

"I wanted to spread the best practices he integrated at Corpus across the Organic Industrial Base, so that it will remain strong for many years to come," Via said.

In his final role, Carlile developed a strategic business plan for the entire Organic Industrial Base, created more than 20 initiatives and a seven dimensional analysis method for program management. This process became the standard for AMC and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition Logistics and Technology.

Carlile credits his accomplishments to those around him. "I am good at one thing and that is seeing the talent in others: the talent they don't see in themselves," said Carlile. "You could say that I'm the Army's best cheerleader. It is those talented people that have made me successful."

In retirement, Carlile said he plans to work for a small profit and loss analysis company at Fort Rucker and spend time with his family.

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