CARSON, Calif. –
Defense Contract Management Agency Western Regional Command celebrated a milestone event with the official disestablishment of DCMA Boeing Huntington Beach and establishment of DCMA Carson in a ceremony here Feb. 5.
Dedicated Nov. 14, 1963, in a ceremony attended by then Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Huntington Beach Space Systems Center became a showcase among space research institutions and a dynamic engineering, testing and production facility substantially advancing the nation’s space program.
As part of the McDonnell Douglas Missile and Space Systems Division from 1963-1997, the Huntington Beach facility developed and manufactured several key advancements for the developing U.S. space program, including the Saturn IV-B upper stage that pushed the Apollo 11 crew to the moon.
After McDonnell Douglas’ merger with Boeing in 1997, the Huntington Beach campus became part of the Boeing footprint producing Delta III and Delta IV rockets, as well as components of the International Space Station.
In 2010, the combination of tertiary commands from DCMA Raytheon Tewksbury and DCMA Anaheim formed the Boeing Huntington Beach office with purview over the programs of all Boeing facilities in Southern California — El Segundo, Long Beach, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. The contract management office’s portfolio grew to a value of $99 billion spread over a variety of joint platforms including the C-17 Globemaster III, Electrostatically Supported Gyroscopic Navigation, Combat Survivor Evader Locator, Trident II missile, P-8A Poseidon, Standard Missile 3, ICBM Prime Integration Contract and Wideband Global Satellite.
Speaking during the ceremony on the office’s 55-year legacy, DCMA Western Region Commander Air Force Col. David Learned said Boeing Huntington Beach and its predecessor organizations have accomplished their mission without fail.
“By its very nature, today’s ceremony is bitter sweet,” said Learned. “We must say farewell and case the colors that represent the many government employees who since 1963 stood vigilant with industry to ensure our forces delivered the very best products and capabilities. On the other hand, we get to open a new chapter and begin a new legacy with the uncasing of the DCMA Carson CMO flag.”
Huntington Beach Commander Air Force Col. Ceir Coral transferred his command to DCMA Carson during the ceremony. His remarks elaborated on the magnitude, effects and challenges the new office will face during the reorganization.
“Today, our DCMA Carson Family, the men and women in this very room, have been given an exciting opportunity,” Coral said. “We stand before a monumental task — balancing the L.A. Basin workload; creating a new geographical CMO while maintaining the resident responsibilities; care for over 250 acquisition professionals; and care for their careers, development, well-being and their families. For many this will mean learning how to adjust to (geographically separated) type work and unique contract administration, not to mention a change in daily commutes and familiar spaces and faces.”
Driven by the completion of the C-17 production line and a move by Boeing to reduce their local personnel by 75 percent, the reorganization provides the agency an opportunity to balance geographical workloads between CMOs in the region, and establish cleaner boundaries between DCMA Los Angeles, DCMA Santa Ana and DCMA Carson.