Combat Capabilities Development Command gets new leader

The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command is getting its second commanding general.

Maj. Gen. John George, deputy director and chief of staff of Army Futures Command's Futures and Concepts Center, has been appointed to be commanding general of AFC's Combat Capabilities Development Command, according to a Pentagon notice issued this afternoon.

George would be the second head of the organization, succeeding Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins.

Wins was the first commanding general of the CCDC, having taken up that role when the Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) became the CCDC upon transition into AFC this past February. Prior to that, Wins served as the RDECOM commander.

Last February, Wins said it's partly his responsibility to tell AFC what it can realistically achieve within its aggressive time lines to develop modern systems, calling this "technology forecasting."

"As we're developing a concept, we want to ensure that [AFC is] informed that that concept and the technologies that it might call for are achievable," he said.

Another job he has is to forecast the effect of modernization -- e.g. adding sensors or shooters onto a vehicle or aircraft -- on other areas, like logistics and sustainment, which is something "we want to be careful of," he said.

These are in addition to the role of creating "more developmental prototypes so the Army can experiment more often to help shape requirements," according to Wins.