Retired brigadier general becomes Lockheed site director

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After 18 years with Lockheed Martin Corp., Greenville Site Director Mike Fox is stepping away from the post he has held since 2018, turning the position over to Walt Lindsley, a sustainment operation director at the company.

Lindsley, currently the director of modifications, upgrades and overhaul for Lockheed Martin’s sustainment operations, will be responsible for a 700-person team that operates the only F-16 production line in the world and serves the U.S. Air Force as the F-16 overflow service industrial depot.

“Walt brings a proven reputation of strong leadership experience and operations and logistics management,” Bruce Litchfield, vice president of Lockheed Martin Sustainment Operations, said in a news release Wednesday. “He is stepping into the role at a time of incredible growth and opportunity for our Greenville site.”

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2018, Lindsley served 36 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he retired as brigadier general. He has held a variety of technical and leadership roles throughout his career, including director of logistics, engineering and force protection for the Air Force Global Strike Command and vice commander at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, overseeing the recovery and strengthening of the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise, according to the release. He has also commanded six U.S. Air Force units at every level, from squadron, group and wing level, to commanding the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia. 

“Following Don Erickson’s retirement, Mike Fox took the helm at Lockheed Martin Greenville and built upon the tremendous momentum that Don had created," Jody Bryson, president and CEO of the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center where Lockheed's Greenville facility is located, told GSA Business Report in an email. "We worked closely with Mike on a number of fronts that led to the establishment of Lockheed Martin Greenville as the F-16 Viper Global Center of Excellence, combining production and sustainment at one site, located at SCTAC.  SCTAC and Lockheed Martin Greenville established an unprecedented partnership over the past decade, and we look forward to taking it to the next level under Walt’s leadership.”

Fox, who also serves on the board of directors for Greenville Technical College Foundation and the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, will retire in June.

“We appreciate Mike’s leadership and service to the company and the Greenville site,” Litchfield said in the release. “He has been instrumental in standing up the F-16 fighter jet production line in Greenville and was at the helm as the site competed for and won a $900 million contract to provide support and depot-overflow services for the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fleet.”