PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE AVIATION, Patuxent River, Md. – The Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) welcomed new leadership during a formal change of command ceremony June 17 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, focusing on the continued delivery of fleet readiness and mission execution for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Capt. James Bailey assumed command of PMA-260 as program manager, relieving Capt. Matt Wilcox, who will retire after 29 years of honorable service.
“This command’s mission is extremely important…our warfighters depend on your support equipment every day to complete their mission and through this team’s relentless efforts, we have achieved the highest aircraft readiness rates we’ve seen in decades,” said Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive (Aviation) for Maritime ISR and NC3 (DPAE (A-MNC3)), who presided over the ceremony.
Under Wilcox’s leadership, PMA-260 successfully advanced critical support equipment capabilities essential to the readiness of naval aviation. His team executed nearly 200 contracts and earned the prestigious 2024 and 2025 Secretary of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Sarkis Tatigian Award for Small Business. Wilcox also spearheaded the delivery of the first carrier crash and salvage crane variant and established a new standardized engine test solution for afloat and ashore activities.
“I’m leaving with gratitude — for the people, the mission, and the privilege of serving something bigger than myself. It’s been my honor to serve,” Wilcox said.
Bailey, a native of Garfield Heights, Ohio, graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2004. He was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, and designated as an aerospace engineering (maintenance) duty officer in 2006. He holds a master's degree in project management from Northeastern University and a master's in defense and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
Bailey has supported multiple roles in both logistics and program management, most recently serving as the integrated product team lead at PMA-260.
“I am truly honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead this exceptional team…as a portfolio program with one of the largest stakeholder networks, we will as a unified team, charge forward into a rapidly evolving battlespace as we set new standards of excellence,” Bailey said. “No other team has the expertise to ready our forces that fight.”
PMA-260 manages the procurement, development, and fielding of common aviation support equipment for the Navy and Marine Corps, ensuring operational readiness and capability across the fleet.