NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. – On Aug. 19, the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) bid farewell to U.S. Air Force Reserve Brig. Gen. Dennis Ployer who served close to three years as the vice commander. Ployer, who also retired from the U.S. Air Force after 34 years, will be greatly missed as he moves on to future endeavors.
Ployer joined the JECC in November 2011 and his steadfast leadership and guidance as the second-in-command of the JECC and its three subordinate joint commands – the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), the Joint Planning Support Element (JPSE) and the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) – has been integral to the continued success of the command.
“Brig. Gen. Ployer has been there when the nation needed him the most,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Bret C. Batchelder, the commander, JECC. “To say that he’s been essential to the full integration of the active and Reserve components of the JECC would be an understatement.”
In the 33 months that Ployer served as the vice commander, the command deployed more than 1,750 active and Reserve personnel for 93 exercises and 72 real-world missions. In particular, Ployer employed, managed and developed Reserve component capabilities for emerging operational requirements. His superb management of the JECC’s “total force” team, especially during times when the commander, JECC, was pulled away from duties at the command, ensured the successful employment of JECC capabilities across the full spectrum of military operations. His sound judgment and direction, stemming from years of operational experience, allowed the JECC to continually meet the needs of the joint force commander.
In addition, Ployer played a major role in the command’s quarterly JECC Planners Course, which trains JECC members and other interested parties in the skills required to apply the Joint Operation Planning Process. Ployer served as the acting joint task force commander in multiple courses, contributing important dialogue to class discussions and offering recommendations for the continued refinement of the lessons taught within the course.
“I want to thank everyone for their support; it is the team effort that really makes things happen,” Ployer said during his farewell. “Keep doing what you are doing and the JECC will continue to be successful.”
On Sept. 1, the JECC welcomed U.S. Air Force Reserve Brig. Gen. Udo “Karl” McGregor as the new vice commander. McGregor joins the JECC after a tour serving as the deputy director, Air Force Strategic Planning at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon, Washington.
McGregor enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in February 1976. He completed his active duty tour in 1980 and enlisted in the Air Force Reserve as a flight engineer, followed by selection in 1985 for commissioning and pilot training. McGregor earned his commission from Officer Training School as the First Honor Graduate and completed undergraduate pilot training with a fighter/attack/recon rating.
McGregor has deployed for Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and has served as the Operations Group commander at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, the wing commander at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, the wing commander at March Air Reserve Base, California, and the deputy, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and assistant deputy Command Air-Afghanistan.
A command pilot, McGregor has flown more than 11,600 hours in CH/HH-3, C-141A/B/C, C-5A/B, C-130E/H, KC-135R and C-17A aircraft. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, among others.