FORT WORTH, Texas –
My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and dedicated workforce and highlights what being part of the national defense team means to them. Today, Charlie Burton shares his story.
My name is Charlie Burton, and this is “My DCMA.” I joined the DCMA team six years ago. I am a quality assurance specialist at DCMA Vertical Lift Texas. My job duties include reviewing production activities to ensure contractual quality requirements and providing surveillance on Bell Helicopter’s MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft at the Manufacturing Technology Center here.
One of the great things about working at my location includes working with a major Acquisition Category I military contract for the Army’s MV-75 program. I have had the privilege and responsibility to provide contractor oversight for the most advanced Army aviation asset being developed. I get the opportunity to be involved with a new program, experience new methods in manufacturing, and see machinery-producing components with cutting-edge technology.
As part of my job duties, I review written quality and inspection procedures for adequacy and evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of quality and inspection systems, including sampling plans. I analyze data to detect the unsatisfactory trends or weaknesses in quality and inspection systems. My job entails identifying inadequacies and requesting corrective action. I compute data, summarize results, and prepare reports and charts depicting pertinent relationships using various statistical methods.
I investigate customer complaints and review and analyze deficiency reports to provide the root causes to appropriate authorities. In addition, I review and evaluate supply system operations and procedures through periodic audits and surveillance inspections.
I like working at DCMA because of the support structure. The organization cares about its employees from top to bottom. DCMA leaders supported me during my years working here as I continue to also serve in the Army Reserve. Whether I deployed or needed to attend military training, my team is always available for support. I believe in and value the agency’s overall mission of protecting our warfighters.
In addition to my civilian job, I am also a chief warrant officer 3 and UH-60 Black Hawk pilot in the Army Reserve. I began my career in active duty as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter maintainer. After six years of active-duty service, I settled in Fort Worth, Texas, to continue my military career as a helicopter maintainer in the Army Reserve. I was commissioned as a warrant officer flying Black Hawk helicopters in 2016. Overall, I have served in the military for more than 20 years.
DCMA is important to America’s warfighters because our role is critical to ensuring our warfighters receive quality products that are adequate, safe, and effective in accomplishing their mission.
DCMA has changed over the years. Our team has reduced in size since I started working for the agency. However, the tools and methods developed for performing surveillance has created increased efficiency, refined time management, and balanced our workload to ensure we are successful in accomplishing the agency’s mission.
My personal career goals for the rest of the year include gaining cross-functional experience with other agency specialists like the engineers within the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program team. I enjoy working with and learning from the other teams within my organization. I want to be an advocate for my peers and communicate with leaders providing recommendations to help improve the agency’s mission, which will help us work smarter and faster. My team’s goal is to continue optimizing our workload balance by improving and creating tools that align with the agency objectives and eliminate inefficiencies impacting our functional specialists. It has been an exciting year for the quality team, and I am honored to be a part of DCMA Vertical Lift Texas.
My future career goals include becoming a civilian flight instructor, certified quality auditor and certified quality engineer. I enjoy flying for the military, and I want to continue my passion as a flight instructor educating others who share the same interests. I want to expand my knowledge and help others within my organization by completing other certifications.
One of my favorite hobbies is exercising. A few years ago, I invested in a home gym, and my family has taken full advantage of it. I enjoy working out with my two boys and educating them on health and fitness. I enjoy volunteering as a youth baseball coach and woodworking. I recently built a pergola in our backyard for the first time. The whole family was involved, and we now have an outdoor space to enjoy.