Army Col. Kenneth Darnall became the commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency Central Region during a change of leadership ceremony in Schaumburg, Illinois, July 27.
Darnall replaced Calvin Bailey, the region’s deputy director, who served in the leadership position for the past year.
DCMA Director Army Lt. Gen. David Bassett said during the ceremony that Darnall, who has had multiple assignments within the agency, will be an asset to the region.
“I am confident in Ken’s ability to lead the team well,” said Bassett. “I am also glad he will continue to be a part of the DCMA family.”
Darnall has served in the Army for 24 years. He is an aviator who transitioned into the Army Acquisition Corps in 2009. He joined the DCMA team in 2012 as an administrative contracting officer at DCMA Boeing Mesa, Arizona, and after that assignment, he deployed for a six-month tour in Afghanistan through DCMA International. He later served as the executive officer at DCMA headquarters. In 2016, Darnall became the commander of DCMA Aircraft Integrated Maintenance Operations at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Prior to becoming the Central Region commander, he was the commander at DCMA Boeing Philadelphia.
Darnall’s unique DCMA journey includes serving in Western, International, Eastern, and now Central Region, as well as at the headquarters level and AIMO. His diverse agency resume places him in a select class with few organizational parallels.
As the commander of the DCMA Central Region, Darnall will oversee nine contract management offices that provide acquisition support to the Department of Defense and more than $500 billion in contracts across 23 states. Central Region supports a variety of programs, including missiles, numerous aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II and F/18 Super Hornet, and military land systems such as the Abrams Main Battle Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle…
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