News

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Department of Defense and contractor employees work together day in, day out at Arnold Air Force Base to fulfill the mission of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), headquartered at Arnold AFB. This year, that cooperation was extended to the internship programs run by DOD and National Aerospace Solutions, LLC (NAS), the Test Operations and Sustainment Contractor for AEDC.

“We need both workforces (DOD and contractor) to provide world-class testing and analysis,” said Sarah Beth Morgan, Chief of Complex Support for AEDC. “Based on that premise, it made sense to join intern efforts to make sure all interns hired to support the AEDC mission understand as much as possible about the base, the mission, the DOD aerospace industry, and the way that both DOD and defense contractors work together to accomplish a common goal.”
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ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for Arnold Engineering Development Complex, among them communicating with Team AEDC when many members were off base and out of reach of their work email.

During a time when there were so many unknowns, AEDC Commander Col. Jeffrey Geraghty took to Facebook Live, along with AEDC Superintendent Chief Master Sgt. Robert Heckman, to host virtual town halls accessible to members of Team AEDC both on and off base.
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ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – The Condition-Based Maintenance team at Arnold Air Force Base has added a new tool to their bag of vibration analysis methods – a Motion Amplification Camera.

As part of the CBM vibration program, readings are taken regularly from vibration sensors monitoring equipment in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex facilities.

“The vibration program is a predictive maintenance effort that has been on the base since the 90s,” said Matthew Breuhl, CBM Vibration Lead with National Aerospace Solutions, LLC, the Test Operations and Sustainment contractor for AEDC. “Through the use of vibration analysis, it is possible to detect common faults or defects within rotating machinery before failure occurs. This can allow for more planned maintenance to be conducted and less reactionary, which is typically three to five times as costly.”
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ARNOLD AFB, Tenn. – National Aerospace Solutions, LLC (NAS) leadership was informed by the Air Engineering Metal Trades Council (AEMTC) tonight that a new 1-year extension to the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was ratified by its members for work at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). The AEMTC represents approximately 660 members through 11 local unions, who are vital to the mission at AEDC.

Negotiations led to an extension of the CBA that ensures mission continuity, provides stability to the workforce, and recognizes the AEMTC’s important contributions to AEDC, NAS, and the United States Air Force.
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ARNOLD AFB, Tenn. – Two area high school students have been announced as 2020 recipients of the Bechtel Global Scholars Program. Both are children of National Aerospace Solutions, LLC (NAS) employees at Arnold Air Force Base. Each student will receive a $3,000 scholarship from Bechtel Group Foundation.

Emilee Roberson is the daughter of Robin Cashion, Engineering Technician with the NAS Design Engineering Group. Emilee, who graduated from Coffee County Central High School, plans to attend Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, in the fall to study Mechanical Engineering.
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ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Most teams at Arnold Engineering Development Complex tasked with carrying out work critical to national security, for a period of time, did not have a full complement of personnel on hand.

Precautions requiring adherence, such as team members maintaining a proper distance from one another and the use of personal protection equipment when this is not possible, were put in place.

But test groups across AEDC have continued to overcome the difficulties presented by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to accomplish one of AEDC Commander Col. Jeffrey Geraghty’s three priorities for those performing critical work – for Team AEDC to execute as much of the mission as possible.
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ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Test operations across Arnold Engineering Development Complex are not possible without the proper components for the test facilities.

Those overseeing testing rely on craft personnel within the Complex to provide the consumable parts necessary to accommodate customers and accomplish the mission. Among the craft groups that work to support testing are the machinists in the Arnold Air Force Base Model and Machine Shop.

“It often goes unnoticed, but the Precision Machinists group, day in and day out, churn out components, without a lot of fanfare, that keep many of the facilities here at AEDC up and running,” said Bob Williams, Precision Machine Shop superintendent with National Aerospace Solutions, the Test Operations and Sustainment contractor for AEDC.
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ARNOLD AFB, Tenn. – Local frontline health care workers received another round of support amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as National Aerospace Solutions (NAS) has again donated a large supply of personal protective equipment to the Coffee County Health Department (CCHD) in Manchester.

On May 12, NAS personnel delivered 2,000 KN95 masks to the CCHD. The masks were provided by Bechtel, the parent company of NAS, which has been providing company projects with disaster relief supplies from the inventory at the Bechtel Equipment Operations (BEO) center in Texas. The supplies are provided to these company projects, such as NAS, the Test Operations and Sustainment Contractor at Arnold Air Force Base, to serve as donations to local medical facilities and first responders.
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