REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (July 6, 2026) – It is a rare event to have all your higher headquarters’ commanders in one room.
But it makes sense if you know Col. Justin Highley.
Lt. Gen. Miles Brown, acting commander for Transformation and Training Command; Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commander of Futures and Concepts Command; and Brig. Gen. Robert Born, commanding general for Combat Capabilities Development Command, were present Wednesday, July 1, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis for a change of command and retirement for Highley, who is concluding a decorated Army career.
“From the minute I met Justin, I was just fascinated by his level of confidence in what he knows. There are things that Justin knows that no one else knows. There are things that he has already done and can do over and over by memory. Do you know what we call those people? Experts,” Brown said.
Highley passed the mantle of commander of DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center’s Conceptual Design, Analysis & Experimentation, Maneuver Air Directorate, to Lt. Col. Lev Mazeres.
Mazeres comes to DEVCOM AvMC from U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, where he most recently served as the product manager of SOA Mission Equipment. Mazeres will take command as the Center undergoes a significant reorganization, with its Fort Eustis operations now sitting under the new Maneuver Air Directorate.
“You are the showcase for how we build the future,” Born told the teammates present to send off their commander and welcome their new leader.
Following the official change of command, Brown presided over a retirement ceremony for Highley.
Highley’s tenure at DEVCOM AvMC closed out a distinguished 31-year Army aviation career that started at the United States Military Academy, where he applied on a dare in high school. Later in his career as an Army aviator, when his wife Missy experienced health issues, Highley decided to submit his retirement papers. However, an unexpected opportunity to join the Army Acquisition Corps allowed him to stay in uniform and put deployments behind them.
Highley said that was one of many ways throughout his career that God “reached down and turned me in a different direction and pointed the way.”
It is a testament to the Ft. Eustis team that after a distinguished career – one that included flying Apache helicopters – Highley still considered his six years as commander the highlight of his time in uniform.
“The capabilities this team provides to the Army aviation Warfighter is unsurpassed … my daughter starts flight school in August. Twenty years from now, when she is a brigade commander, the things we are working on, she will be flying and will keep her safe and bring her home to Missy and me.”
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About DEVCOM AvMC: DEVCOM AvMC is the nexus of Army aviation and missile modernization, where the operational requirements of Transformation and Training Command (T2COM) are fused with the acquisition strategies of the Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAE). As the Army’s primary source of deep technical expertise, the Center provides the innovative science and responsive life-cycle engineering that allows the PAEs to execute programs at speed, delivering the asymmetric capabilities required to ensure our Soldiers dominate on the battlefield.