Mark S. Wentlent is vice president and general manager of Army Fleet Support (AFS), which provides contractor aviation maintenance and logistics support to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Aviation Flight Test Directorate at Fort Rucker, Ala. AFS is a joint venture of L-3 Integrated Systems Group and Helicopter Support Company, Inc. Wentlent is responsible for guiding the company’s day-to-day operations, the company’s 4,000 employees, customer support, and profit and loss.

Prior to joining AFS, Mr. Wentlent served eight years as the regional vice president at Allied Automotive.  In that role, he managed a $350 million transportation logistics business with more than 1,700 employees.

In September of 2002, Wentlent retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Colonel after 30 years of service in command and staff positions in the U.S. and overseas. His last military assignment was Chief of Staff of 3^rd U.S. Army/Combined Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC).

In 1972, Wentlent graduated from Gannon College in Erie, Penn., and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant before entering the Infantry Officers’ Advanced Course and attending flight training in 1977. After flight training, Wentlent was assigned to the 335^th Aviation Company, 1^st Infantry Division, at Fort Riley, Kan., where he served as a Flight Platoon Leader, Company Operations Officer, and Battalion S1.

Following graduation from Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Wentlent was assigned to the 18^th Airborne Corps where he served as Company Commander of the 18^th Aviation Company and Battalion Executive Officer of the 1-159^th Command Aviation Battalion and Operations Officer of Task Force 118. 

Wentlent’s military career included several key roles in Army Aviation such as Commander, 1-145^th Aviation Battalion, 1^st Aviation Brigade Commander, and Chief of Staff, at Fort Rucker, Ala.

A native of Tonawanda, New York, Wentlent is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, and has a Master’s Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. He and his wife, Jane, have been married for 37 years, and they have three grown children, Rebecca, Joel and Matthew.