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Coffee County residents will be seeing a familiar face return to the area as former Commander of Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) Maj. Gen. (retired) Michael Brewer will be serving as the General Manager of Beyond New Horizons, LLC (BNH).

This past March, the contracting office at Arnold Air Force Base awarded the Test Operations and Sustainment (TOS) II contract to BNH, to ensure continuity of the AEDC ground test mission for the next several years. The contract is valued more than $3.7 billion.

Yet, National Aerospace Solutions filed an official WARN Notice with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in May to protest AEDC awarding the contract to BNH; however, the U.S. Government Accountability Office denied the protest and the contract was given to BNH. With this decision, the current TOS contract will continue operations until BNH assumes TOS II responsibilities, which is anticipated for Oct. 1, 2024. BNH will conduct testing, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, and improvements to ensure the continuity of the AEDC mission.

With there being a new contractor in town, Brewer said BNH has entered into an 85-day transition phase this week with the primary objective is transitioning the workforce. NAS’ contract with the base will continue until Oct. 1.

“Our goal is not to come in and replace,” Brewer said. “What makes Arnold special is the people. It’s that special knowledge, it’s their dedication to the mission is what makes it special. We want to retain that, we value these guys, we know what they can bring and we want to transition them over to our contract.”

The full term of the contract is 12 years, according to Brewer. BNH will perform the work at six AEDC operating locations including:

•     Arnold Air Force Base (AFB), Tennessee

•     The National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, Mountain View, California

•     Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9, White Oak, Maryland

•     The Landing Gear Test Facility (LGTF), Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio

•     The Aerospace Vehicle Survivability Facility (AVSF), Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio

•     National Radar Cross Section Test Facility (NRTF), White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

While the TOS II contract will begin Oct. 1, the LGTF, AVSF and NRTF contract performance will begin on April 1, 2026. The TOS II contract is expected to end on Sept. 30, 2036.

BNH is based out of Huntsville, Ala., and is a joint venture with Engineering Research and Consulting, Inc. (ERC) and Fluor Federal Services, Inc. BNH specializes in testing and evaluation for military and space systems combined with unmatched capability in large-scale Government program management, integration, engineering, and construction services for specialized and technically advanced high-hazard facilities.

Brewer said the name is taken from the Toward New Horizons founding study, which led to the formation of Arnold AFB, and continuing the vision as the world continues to change.

“Our goal is go, ‘How do we now take the Toward New Horizon vision, line it underneath the commander’s vision at Arnold and support them and moving beyond new horizons,” Brewer said.

 For Brewer, he served as Commander of AEDC from 2011 to 2012 and when he retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving 33 years he wasn’t planning on to return to working long days. That was until he received the opportunity to return to both Tullahoma and Arnold AFB.

“When the chance came to come back to Arnold that’s something that’s special,” Brewer said. “What makes it special is not the facilities, it’s the people of Tullahoma. I was commander out here 12 years ago and I still tell stories about the people and community in this area.”

Brewer shared the four points that BNH values is the mission at the base, team, service and stewardship. He added during the transition period he and his team were going out to the community and talk with community leaders as part of the objective is to be part of the community and not just engage with the base.

“For us to be successful out there, then we need to successful as a community,” he said. “It’s not just teaming with Arnold, it’s teaming with the community and if that doesn’t happen then we can’t get the mission accomplished.”

Those interested in more information and wanting to apply can visit bnh-jv.com.