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COLONEL BRETT A. AYVAZIAN

COMMANDER, BLUE GRASS ARMY DEPOT

Colonel Brett A. Ayvazian assumed command of Blue Grass Army Depot on July 12, 2022. Blue Grass Army Depot provides America's Joint Warfighters with reliable, timely and cost-effective munitions and chemical defense equipment in support of full-spectrum military operations.

COL Ayvazian was born in New York City and graduated from Port Chester Senior High School in 1989. He attended the United States Military Academy and the State University of New York (S.U.N.Y.) College at Cortland, graduating in 1994. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Armor the same year.

COL Ayvazian’s assignments include: Tank Platoon Leader, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division; Company Executive Officer Company B, 115th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Support Command. Chief Maintenance Officer for Multi-National Division-North during Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1998; he had a break in active federal service from 1999-2007; upon his return to service, he deployed to Iraq as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 719th Transportation Battalion, Boston, MA; Battalion Executive Officer, 1st Battalion, 322nd Logistics Support Battalion, 1st Army Division-East, Fort Dix; Logistics Support Team Chief for the Army Sustainment Command, Fort Knox, 2011; Army Field Support Battalion-Bagram Support Operations Officer, Army Materiel Command 401st Army Field Support Brigade; Secretary of the General Staff and Athletic Department Director of Logistics, United States Military Academy, 2013; Commander, 1st Special Troops Battalion of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Bragg, and Fort Knox, 2016; Deputy Support Operations Officer, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, 2016; Resident Student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, 2019-2020; Deputy Chief of Staff to the Commanding General of Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, 2020.

His military education includes: Airborne School; Armor Officer Basic Course; Ordnance Transition Course; Combined Logistics Captain’s Career Course; Support Operations Course; Joint Course on Logistics; Theater Sustainment Course; and Intermediate Level Education at the Command and General Staff College. He holds a Master’s in business administration from Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL, and a Master’s in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

COL Ayvazian’s awards and achievements include: the Combat Action Badge; Airborne Qualification Badge; the Legion of Merit; two Bronze Star Medals; five Meritorious Service Medals; three Army Commendation Medals; four Army Achievement Medals; the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal; two National Defense Service Medals; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Iraqi Campaign Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Medal; the Armed Forces Reserve Medal (M device); the Military Outstanding Volunteer Medal, three Overseas Service Ribbons; and two NATO Medals.



CHRIS LEE

DEPUTY TO COMMANDER

Mr. Chris Lee currently serves as the Civilian Executive (Deputy Commander) of Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD). In his role as the senior civilian, Mr. Lee ensures munitions and chemical defense equipment are readily available to support worldwide full-spectrum military operations. He also ensures safeguards are in place to secure the remainder of the National Chemical Weapons Stockpile until demilitarization is complete. In addition, Mr. Lee is responsible for oversight of Operations at Anniston Munitions Center, Anniston AL and Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, Scranton PA.

Chris Lee spent his early years in Florida and Guam before his Navy family settled in Silverdale, Washington, where Chris graduated from Central Kitsap High School in 1991. From there, Mr. Lee traveled to Provo, Utah where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University. Following Naval Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, he was commissioned into the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps in 1997.

Mr. Lee’s military assignments include Assistant Company Commander and Detachment Officer in Charge with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 in Gulfport, MS with deployments to Okinawa, Puerto Rico, Dominica and Andros Island, Bahamas; and Engineering Exchange Officer with 823rd Red Horse Squadron in Fort Walton Beach, FL with deployments to Italy, Qatar, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, where he provided the first boots-on-ground engineering assessments of Afghan Air Bases after 9/11. Following language training at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA he completed his military career with a split tour as Planning Officer and Assistant Resident Officer in Charge of Construction at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy in 2006.

Upon separation from the Navy, Mr. Lee was hired as the Supervisory Engineer for Facilities Management and Drydock Engineering at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. After a year in this position, he was recruited back to NAS Sigonella, Italy to be the Supervisory General Engineer and Project Management and Engineering Branch Head. While there, Mr. Lee was selected as the Installation Business Manager, the staff integrator responsible for Strategic Planning, Future Plans and Financial Management for the base. At the conclusion of his overseas tour, Mr. Lee returned to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to head the Facilities Management and Planning Branches for the Command. Following this assignment, he was again recruited to return to Sigonella to be the Business Manager for the installation. From there he was promoted to be the Deputy Public Works Officer for NAS Sigonella. In 2022, Mr. Lee was selected to his current position.

Mr. Lee holds an Associate of Science Degree in Italian from Defense Language Institute, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University, and a Master of Science degree in Leadership and Management from Western Governor’s University. He is Contracting Level 2 and Facilities Engineering Level 3 certified through Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act.

Mr. Lee’s numerous military awards include the Navy Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and the Global War on Terror Service Medal. His Civilian Awards include the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for his work in Sigonella during the 2011 NATO Operation Unified Protector supporting the liberation of Libya.



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MISSION

To provide America's Joint Warfighters reliable, timely and cost-effective munitions and chemical defense equipment in support of full spectrum Military Operations.  Safeguard the remainder of the National Chemical Weapons Stockpile until demilitarization.

VISION

Become the Department of Defense's Center of Excellence for ammunition support to the Joint Warfighter.

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Last updated: 02/02/2023 1:28 PM