New CAC Announced

[Baldrick]

New CAC has been announced, here’s a brief Bio for those not in LASER:

@Baldrick

Following a thorough selection process, including an interview with the Air & Space Commander, Air Officer Commanding No 22 Group, and Director Legal Services, Group Captain Al Lewis is appointed Commandant RAF Air Cadets in the rank of Air Commodore, effective 23 September 2024.

He succeeds Air Commodore Tony Keeling OBE, who is retiring from the Service. Group Captain Lewis is currently Commandant of London & South East Region RAF Air Cadets, and the process to identify a successor is underway.

Gp Capt Lewis said, “I have been humbled by the support over past months and thrilled to be appointed into such a prestigious role as Commandant RAFAC. As someone who is hugely passionate about the way our outputs change the lives of cadets, I am honoured to lead its dedicated volunteers and permanent staff who deliver so much for our cadets.

I am excited by the challenges that lie ahead and am confident that with your support, and my region/delivery perspective, we can collectively bring a fresh purpose and continuing relevancy through our safe and challenging activities, whilst reshaping and professionalising our organisation.”

Group Captain Al Lewis joined the Royal Air Force as a graduate entry in April 1994 and completed junior officer tours at RAF Kinloss as a Nimrod MR2 JEngO, RAF Cosford as OC Line Training Flight and RAF Wyton as an Engineering Authority for the RAF’s BAe 146s and HS125s. During these tours he supported Nimrod exercises and operations on numerous detachments, including the Falkland Islands and the Middle East.

On promotion to Squadron Leader in March 2003, Gp Capt Lewis worked as a member of the Partnered Support solution team with BAES at Warton on the Nimrod MRA4 programme, before completing his SEngO appointment on 101 Sqn at RAF Brize Norton at the time overseeing worldwide operations of the VC10 aircraft fleet. He left command to become the Talent Manager for Squadron Leader Aerosystem Engineer Officers. He attended Advanced Command and Staff College (ACSC12) from September 2008 and was promoted to Wing Commander in January 2009. Upon leaving ACSC, he was appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff in Headquarters 1 Group with a further posting as the Engineer Branch and Trade Sponsor from Sep 2011. Gp Capt Lewis took command of Engineering and Logistics Wing at RAF Brize Norton in September 2012 where he was also the Chief Air Engineer to the Delivery Duty Holder for all Air Mobility assets and Airborne Delivery/Airborne Forces Equipment. Gp Capt Lewis was posted from RAF Brize Norton to take up a staff post in Air Command HQ Resources and Plans in September 2014.

He left the Regular RAF in September 2015 to take up a Full-Time Reservist role as Regional Commandant for London and South East Region RAF Air Cadets, based at RAF Northolt.

Group Captain Lewis lives with his wife, Sarah, in Lane End near Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and they have 2 grown up children. He is a keen cyclist on road and mountain bikes, and to relax he enjoys country walks with his family and dog.

[pEp]

Have we ever had someone “internal” promoted to this role before? I can’t remember it. Could be great.

Good luck, you’ve got one hell of a job on your hands!

[DofE4all]

Not really surprising considering they’ve been advertising his role for a month or so. But good luck to him.

[AlexCorbin]

I think this could be the difference because theyre as close to the coal face as you would get in that role

[Eeh_Bah_Gum]

But he had already stated he was standing down as RC LASER, so this looks like an extension to service role.

[Cadet04]

Internal promotion could be a massive win - no need to spend ages learning the organisation. No doubt he’ll get some slack for dealing with the same long-term problems Tony has tried to deal with, but that’s inevitable really.

That said, hopefully he reads ACC and learns from the mistakes of Tony

[DofE4all]

He does get out and about in the Region visiting squadrons and not just sitting in the ivory towers, hopefully that doesn’t change too much, so he can keep his finger on the pulse.

[JoeBloggs]

All the best to him. Wouldn’t have been my first choice from the rumoured applicants, but certainly not the last choice either.

What he’s done with the LaSER paid staff has worked really well, and getting it to work nationally will be great if possible.

He’s got a lot of work to do, that’s good sure.

[Cadet04]

@DofE4all

He does get out and about in the Region visiting squadrons

I wonder how many parade nights Tony has visited in his time? I’d guess single figures

[samm]

Was fortunate enough to meet him last week, he was very hopeful that he was going to be selected as CAC, and came off as genuinely very passionate about the Air Cadets and what it gives us cadets. He was open to questions of varying degrees of politeness from cadets, and then from staff there as well and answered them all very honestly. I do trust that his command will do a lot of good for the RAFAC.

[daws1159]

@pEp

Have we ever had someone “internal” promoted to this role before? I can’t remember it. Could be great.

I don’t ever remember it, hopefully it will be a win, what we have been doing for the past 80 years clearly stopped working around 14 years ago or so. Good on the organisation for trying something different.

@Cadet04

I wonder how many parade nights Tony has visited in his time? I’d guess single figures

That’s always going to be a balancing act, Dawn was the opposite, certainly in her first 4 years where she turned up to everything she was invited to. While it’s nice to see people out there they have a job to do Monday to Friday 9-5.

[juliet_mike]

I remember one going the other way - Cp Capt Ford. He was CAC, then became CE Region Commendant. He did my commissioning interview.

[MikeJenvey]

I know Jon very well.

[AlexCorbin]

[theAdj]

Someone who has been in the trenches as long as him getting the top job is a good move in my book; the higher levels being in touch with the troops has been missing for a long time.

Straight on for the road to normailty…

[Chief_Tech]

@juliet_mike

• Grp Capt Ford. He was CAC, then became CE Region Commendant.

I remember him telling a story that whilst CAC he directed each region should merge a wing.

When it came to handover on him becoming RC C&E he asked what wings the out going RC had decided to merge he got the response “I was going to leave that decision to you”

[daws1159]

@Chief_Tech

I remember him telling a story that whilst CAC he directed each region should merge a wing.

I remember those mergers, West Essex Wing are still complaining

[Eeh_Bah_Gum]

Affected three Wings in the Region I was in at the time, with boundary changes, formed 2 Wings out of the ashes.

[papa_november]

I’m pretty sure that I have crossed paths with Al Lewis back during my engineering days; I certainly dealt with the HS125 EA over a lengthy period… I just can’t remember what he was like.

[Novet]

Nice to see the comments on the Facebook post announcing it, seems like he’s well liked, maybe he’ll join us here or is already lurking, good change in comms too. Maybe things aren’t so bad after all?