Top AF analysis leader recognized

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Report
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis received the Lt. Gen. Glenn A. Kent Leadership Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon July 11, 2017.

The award – presented by Kevin Williams, the Air Force Studies, Analyses and Assessments Director – is the Air Force’s most prestigious recognition to influential leaders who have had substantive analytic responsibilities during their career and whose vision and leadership have had a significant and lasting effect on the achievements of Air Force analysis. It honors the legacy of Kent, who was widely regarded as visionary of defense analysis and one of the premier military analytical thinkers of his time.

“General Holmes is a driving force in ensuring analysis factors prominently in decision making,” Williams said. “Anyone who has worked for or with General Holmes comes away impressed by his sharp, decisive, analytic mind and his ability to drive logically, analytically-based thinking into decision making.”

According to the award citation, Holmes distinguished himself as the architect of the Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team. The concept included rigorous application of analytical expertise necessary to chart the future force structure of the Air Force. His determination that analyses factor prominently in decision-making and his vision for enhancing the analytical capability in the Air Force will continue to have an impact for years to come.

“Growing up on a dairy farm in East Tennessee, I never thought I’d be recognized for my analytics,” said Holmes, the 14th recipient of the award. “We live in a world where facts seem to be less important, and we tend to be moving towards making decisions based on what we believe and what our opinions are, and everybody’s opinion is valid. Part of our struggle is putting the right analysis in front of what we do, knowing – as General Kent did – analysis is important, but you’ve got to have a story – something that grabs people and makes them care about it.”