Army Materiel Command Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence speaks with Red River Army Depot Commander Col. Denis J. Fajardo during a visit to the depot. The group prepares to tour the Combat Vehicle Production Facility, where skilled teams conduct critical rework on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Multiple Launch Rocket System and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Army Materiel Command Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence listens as Kip Browning, Red River’s public works director, points out the planned location for the future Component Rebuild Shop. The facility will centralize component work, including engines, transmissions, dynamometers and more.

Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence, deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command, listens as Brian Dudley, chief of Red River’s Light and Medium Tactical Division, explains the facility’s remanufacturing process.

Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence, deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command, tours Red River’s Combat Vehicle Production Facility with Lacey DeBerry, acting division chief for the Combat Division, and other division leaders. The visit marked Lawrence’s first trip to the depot.

RED RIVER ARMY DEPOT, Texas – Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence, deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command, visited Red River Army Depot for the first time April 13 to review the depot’s Advanced Automation Manufacturing project and see ongoing modernization efforts firsthand.

“I was sharing with your commander that during my years of service, I have never seen a time when there has been so much focus and attention on the industrial base,” Lawrence said. “With that focus comes more opportunities so I’m excited to hear about what we’re doing here at Red River. I’ve received several updates but it’s another thing to be here in person.”

Red River leaders gave Lawrence a high‑level overview of depot operations that outlined current and planned modernization initiatives. The briefing also highlighted the depot’s advanced manufacturing work and the planning underway to expand those capabilities.

“Red River’s workforce is fully committed to strengthening Army readiness through modernization and advanced manufacturing,” said Col. Denis J. Fajardo, commander of Red River. “Visits like this give us the opportunity to show how our people are driving innovation and ensuring the Army has what it needs to succeed.”

Red River Army Depot Commander Col. Denis J. Fajardo explains a process to Army Materiel Command Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence during a tour of the depot’s Light Tactical Division.

The Red River team also outlined progress on its Commercial Solutions Opening, an initiative designed to accelerate advanced manufacturing capabilities across the Organic Industrial Base. The effort reflects how the depot is broadening its technical capacity and reinforcing its role as a strategic asset within the OIB. The CSO also strengthens partnerships with industry by creating new avenues to share expertise and develop solutions that support the Army’s modernization goals.

Following the briefing, the group toured several of the depot’s key maintenance areas, including the Light Tactical Vehicle Facility, Rubber Products, the Combat Vehicle Production Facility, and the future home of the depot’s Component Rebuild Shop.

Along the way, Lawrence paused to recognize several team members for their dedicated service including Donald Gentry, a sheet metal mechanic in the Directorate for Public Works, and Jonathon Fowler, a heavy equipment mobile mechanic leader in the Directorate for Maintenance.

“What you’re doing at Red River is valuable,” Lawrence said. “I love the motto (We build it as if our lives depend on it – theirs do) because our service members absolutely depend on what you’re doing here.”