Air Force Reserve leader takes command of Force Generation Center

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. --

Brig. Gen. Christopher T. Lay assumed command of the Air Force Reserve Command Force Generation Center on August 2, taking leadership of the organization that generates approximately 70,000 Air Force Reserve forces worldwide.

The change of command ceremony at the Museum of Aviation transferred leadership from outgoing commander Brig. Gen. Kelvin D. McElroy to Lay. Maj. Gen. Regina A. Sabric, deputy commander of Air Force Reserve Command, presided over the ceremony.

During McElroy's two-year tenure, the center mobilized 2,800 reservists to support Ukraine operations, responded to multiple hurricanes and wildfire seasons, and facilitated air operations against Iran during Operation Midnight Hammer and Shield Wall. Under his leadership, 6,752 Reserve Airmen participated in exercises across 27 states and 34 countries.

"The guys in the FGC, they don't just execute the mission, they excel at it," McElroy told his successor during the ceremony. "What you're about to embark upon are some true dedicated Airmen."

Lay comes from his assignment as mobilization assistant to the director of concepts and strategy at Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon, where he developed future Air Force strategy. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, he entered the Air Force Reserve in 2003 after seven years on active duty and is a master navigator with more than 3,000 flight hours.

"We're at an important point in Air Force history as our service contemplates how to reorganize and how to reprioritize," Lay said. "I dare say that we as an Air Force Reserve component are best suited for competition, primarily because we pull upon our civil and our military service of our Reserve Airmen."

The Force Generation Center serves as the single organization responsible for generating Air Force Reserve forces by leveraging reserve strategic capability to meet operational needs in support of global force management.

The ceremony coincided with retirement ceremonies for both McElroy and his wife, Col. Maria N. McElroy, marking the end of distinguished military careers with a combined 69 years of service. Kelvin McElroy, a Macon native who grew up in the Fort Hill area and attended Fort Valley State University, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1994 before joining the Air Force Reserve in 2000.

On August 2, 2025, the McElroys were inducted into the Tubman African American Museum in Macon, where their photo will be displayed in the military section. The museum serves as a key educational and cultural resource for Georgia and the Southeast, focusing on African American art, history and culture.