LOCATIONS
LAND
23 Jan 25. Sigma Defense Systems, a leader in defense technology, proudly announced the grand opening of the expanded office facility of the EWA Warrior Services division in Huntsville, Alabama. This new 12,000 square-foot office provides critical resources to support customers across the Department of Defense (DoD) that includes Army, Navy, Space Force and other organizations as the company has added 20 new jobs in Huntsville since 2023. The ribbon cutting took place on January 22nd, 2025, with Sigma Defense Systems executives, employees and distinguished guests taking part in the ceremony. Those who attended included representatives from the office of Congressman Dale Strong, Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, representatives from Huntsville mayor’s office, Tommy Battle, and members of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce. EWA Warrior Services specializes in the design, development, and sustainment of advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) systems and threat simulation technologies, supporting test and training missions for multiple customers within the DoD. The new facility is the third building added to the Huntsville campus which represents over 19,500 square feet of research and development space already in operation. The site serves as a hub for developing and delivering test and training solutions and includes CNC machines, 3-D printers, specialized laboratory spaces and equipment for rapid prototyping manufacturing and production Jeff Morgan, President of EWA Warrior Services, presided over the opening ceremony and shared his perspective: “This new facility represents not just growth for EWA Warrior Services, but our ability to deliver cutting edge solutions for our customer and bring new jobs to the Huntsville community. We are excited to celebrate the opening of this new office, but more importantly we are excited about what this means for our ability to deliver on our commitment to our customers.” EWA Warrior Services joined Sigma Defense in May 2024 through the acquisition of its parent company EWA. Sigma Defense employs over 800 people globally, delivering solutions for CJADC2, DevSecOps and C5ISR and other services for national security. (Source: PR Newswire)
MARITIME
23 Jan 25. China commissions first Type 054B frigate. China has commissioned the first of its next-generation Type 054B class of guided-missile frigates. The warship, which has been named CNS Luohe, was commissioned at a ceremony held at the military base in Qingdao on 22 January, China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) disclosed in a statement on the same day. While the MND’s statement did not provide further details on the unit that Luohe will be commissioned into, Chinese Communist Party-sponsored media outlet China Daily reported on 22 January that the frigate will serve with the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN’s) North Sea Fleet. No further details were provided on Luohe other than the fact that it displaces close to 5,000 tonnes. Luohe was launched by China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai in 2023. It is one of two Type 054B frigates that have been constructed for the PLAN, with the other being built by Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou. The second vessel is also believed to be close to completion. Satellite imagery suggests that Luohe has an overall length of about 147 m and an overall beam of about 18 m. This makes the ship significantly larger than its predecessor, the Type 054A, which has an overall length of about 134 m and an overall beam of 16 m.= Images accompanying the MND’s statement on the commissioning confirm that Luohe has been armed with a 32-cell vertical launching system (VLS) in the forward section and launchers for anti-surface missiles amidships. (Source: Janes)
PLANT CLOSURES, STRIKES AND JOB LOSSES
21 Jan 25. Israeli military chief of staff resigns over failure to prevent October 7 attack. Israel’s military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, has said he will resign in March over the failure to prevent the October 7 attack. In a letter to Israel’s prime minister and defense minister released by the military, Halevi said: “As a result of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the military has recorded exceptional achievements in restoring Israel’s deterrence and strength, I wish to conclude my tenure on March 6, 2025.” Halevi’s resignation marks the highest-profile departure of an Israeli official linked to the security establishment’s failures on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to take responsibility for those failures, stating that accountability will come only after the war. (Source: CNN)
17 Jan 25. A Polish general was dismissed last week by the nation’s defense minister after reportedly misplacing a batch of anti-tank mines that were later found in an Ikea warehouse, according to Polish news outlet Onet. Maj. Gen. Artur Kępczyński was fired Jan. 9 for reasons that were not specified by Polish military officials, though numerous local reports suggested the missing explosives were — naturally — the catalyst for his dismissal. In June 2024, a train carrying more than 1,000 tons of explosives was improperly unloaded by Polish troops, the report said, who mistakenly left the anti-tank mines to continue their rail-bound journey around the country until they were eventually offloaded in the furniture behemoth’s warehouse. Kępczyński, meanwhile, reportedly kept the mishap from his superiors while furnishing subsequent supply reports that featured false numbers. That approach appeared to have worked — at least until an Ikea warehouse representative telephoned military officials and inquired about “when they would collect their mines,” according to one report. The Polish defense ministry posted on X confirming the dismissal of Kępczynski, who was reportedly a lead figure in the service’s logistics support element. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the report said. (Source: Defense News)
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
17 Jan 25. DOD Talent Chief Aims to Reform Hiring to Attract Gen Z. At a recent panel discussion on government talent acquisition, Brynt Parmeter, the Defense Department’s chief talent management officer, underscored the urgent need to attract members of Generation Z to civilian defense careers. The panel convened yesterday to discuss solutions to an emerging problem: A large portion of DOD’s civilian workforce is approaching retirement age, forcing its agencies to adjust how they recruit and retain early-career professionals to fill the void.
“If we don’t get more Gen Z members into this workforce, we are not going to be able to accomplish our mission,” Parmeter said.
Parmeter was appointed CTMO in April 2023 — a position created to address DOD’s evolving talent management needs. The department, which encompasses 60% of the federal civilian workforce, must not only fill thousands of essential jobs across fields like cybersecurity, logistics and engineering but also reform its hiring approach to resonate with younger applicants.
According to Valerie Capers Workman, an industry expert who joined Parmeter on the panel, Gen Z values job stability, meaningful work and comprehensive benefits.
“For the Gen Z cohort, there is no more attractive space right now than the federal government,” she said.
Parmeter agreed, noting that DOD civilian roles, which offer robust retirement packages, competitive health care and an opportunity to contribute to defense in a non-uniformed capacity, are uniquely suited to appeal to a generation that values public service.
However, Parmeter explained that many young professionals “didn’t know” about the civilian roles within DOD and often equated careers in defense to military service. Overcoming this confusion and communicating the breadth of opportunities is paramount to federal agencies in search of Gen Z talent.
Last spring, Parmeter launched a pilot program to attract 300 cybersecurity professionals in line with the department’s 2023-2027 Cyber Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan. As part of the program, DOD partnered with workforce development intermediaries, civilian companies, non-profits and universities.
Following the pilot program, 88% of candidates reported that they were “very” or “extremely” interested in opportunities within DOD, even though 80% revealed that they had never applied for employment with the department.
“Through the outreach, we ended up getting 6,000 eligible and qualified applicants,” Parmeter said. “We realized people want to come in and work for the federal government.”
However, the department cannot offset its impending manpower shortfall with awareness campaigns alone. Parmeter admitted that DOD is still hamstrung by complex, decades-old hiring regulations.
“There are 43 steps in the hiring process,” he said. “And 34 are mandated in congressional statute; we have to comply.”
In response, DOD officials are exploring opportunities to work with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and draft legislation to evolve the compliance-based steps standing in the way of talent acquisition.
The department also aims to leverage partnerships with job platforms, integrate artificial intelligence for resume matching, and shorten the overall timeline from application to offer.
“We want to make the hiring process more user-friendly for the job applicants and for DOD,” Parmeter said. Parmeter noted that generational challenges could also be discouraging candidates from pursuing DOD careers. Long-tenured hiring managers still expect 30-year commitments from Gen Z applicants. Parmeter argued that his generation’s perspectives fail to capture the interest of emerging professionals. To reconcile these perspectives, Parmeter suggested a fluid approach: allowing employees to “rotate out” into private-sector roles to gather expertise and then return to federal service. “We want to amplify and tell our stories,” he said. “Including stories of those who join, receive advanced training and then leverage that expertise in other sectors before returning to public service.” The 2022 National Defense Strategy reinforces this stance by encouraging the department to “increase the availability of fellowships, internships and rotational assignments” to build a more adaptable, experienced workforce. Parmeter concluded the panel discussion by challenging government employees to inspire young people to join their teams. “Take 10 minutes to rethink how you describe your role … and translate your excitement into a language that resonates with the next generation of public servants.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
23 Jan 25. Mr Daniel Shepherd has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea in succession to Mr John Marshall who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Shepherd will take up his appointment during April 2025.
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
21 Jan 25. Trump Names Acting Secretary of Defense, Designates Acting Service Secretaries. President Donald Trump named Robert Salesses as acting secretary of defense pending the confirmation of Pete Hegseth for the position. Salesses assumed the functions and duties of the office at 12:01 p.m. yesterday.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has sent Hegseth’s nomination to the full Senate, which is expected to act on the nomination later this week.
Salesses is a retired Marine Corps officer and a member of the senior executive service. He previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities.
He is a senior executive service member who has been serving as the deputy director of Washington Headquarters Service. According to his bio, he managed a portfolio of complex and integrated operational services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Military Departments, Defense Agencies, Congress and the Executive Office of the President.
In addition to Salesses, the White House announced that Mark Averill will serve as acting secretary of the Army, Terence Emmert as acting secretary of the Navy and Gary Ashworth as acting secretary of the Air Force. Averill is the head of the Army’s Office of the Administrative Assistant. Emmert served as DOD’s principal deputy chief technology officer for mission capabilities. Ashworth served as DOD’s acting assistant secretary of defense for acquisition.
All of the acting individuals were sworn in yesterday. (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 Jan 25. New Officials Sworn-in at the Department of Defense. The following individuals were sworn-in yesterday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the Pentagon:
- John A. Byers, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (South and South-East Asia)
- Colin J. Carroll, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
- Austin J. Dahmer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Strategy)
- Timothy D. Dill, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
- Michael P. DiMino IV, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Middle East)
- Mark Ditlevson, Senior Advisor, Department of the Navy
- Michael P. Duffey, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense
- Stephen L. Ferrara, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
- David R. Fitzgerald, Chief Strategic Advisor, Department of the Navy
- Eric J. Geressy, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense (Strategy)
- Terence E. Hagans, Chief of Staff, Department of the Army
- Mateo Haydar, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
- Macon D. Hughes, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs
- Jules W. Hurst III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Readiness)
- Colby C. Jenkins, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Irregular Warfare and Counter Terrorism)
- Joseph R. Kasper, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense
- Rafael F. Leonardo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Plans and Posture)
- Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
- James G. Mazol, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
- Sean C. McAndrews, Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
- Matt A. McNitt, Deputy White House Liaison
- John Noh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (East Asia)
- Tami Radabaugh, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (Strategic Engagement)
- James R. Sapp, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (House Affairs)
- Darin S. Selnick, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense
- Katherine E. Thompson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Global Partnerships)
- Jonathan L. Ullyot, Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
- Alexander J. Velez-Green, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
- Patrick R. Weaver, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
- Kingsley R. Wilson, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary
- Patrick J. Witt, Chief of Staff, Office of Strategic Capital
- Charles L. Young III, Principal Deputy General Counsel (DOD)
(Source: U.S. DoD)
INDUSTRY
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
21 Jan 25. Javier Escribano, the current CEO of the EM&E Group, will assume the presidency of the Group following the appointment of his brother as Executive President of Indra. Ángel Escribano will therefore step down as President of the EM&E Group. Fernando Fernández, Chief Operating Officer of EM&E Group since 2014, will become the company’s new CEO. Fernández has more than 20 years of experience in the defence sector, having held senior positions in several of the sector’s leading engineering companies.
21 Jan 25. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (‘KONGSBERG’) has appointed Ronny Opsjøn Langset as Executive Vice President Naval Surface Ships, with responsibilities for key initiatives such as standardised vessels. Langset joins KONGSBERG from his position as yard director at Vard Langsten in Tomrefjord in northwestern Norway. Langset will also head up KONGSBERG’s office in Ålesund, which was launched last year to strengthen the company’s naval activities, in close cooperation with Kongsberg Maritime and Kongsberg Discovery and in the heart of the Norwegian maritime cluster.
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
22 Jan 25. Academy Securities, the nation’s first post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank, today announced the addition of Lieutenant General Brian Cavanaugh to its Advisory Board and Geopolitical Intelligence Group. Lieutenant General Brian Cavanaugh retired from the United States Marine Corps after more than 35 years of exceptional service. His career culminated as the Commanding General of Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, Marine Corps Forces Command, and Marine Corps Forces Northern Command, where he led 48,000 Marines, Sailors, and civilians in global operations and homeland defense. He previously served as Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces Pacific, Deputy Director for Operations on the Joint Staff, and Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs at Headquarters Marine Corps, managing the service’s $50bn budget. Beginning his military service as a Naval Aviator, he commanded the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Japan and squadron HMH-362 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
22 Jan 25. Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE : ACHR) added Lieutenant General (Ret) Scott Howell to its Advisory Board to help guide its newly formed Archer Defense business unit. The goal of Archer Defense, announced in December, is to leverage the company’s expertise in aircraft development, advanced flight controls and scalable manufacturing to deliver next-generation aircraft for defense applications. Its first project, in partnership with Anduril, is the development of a hybrid-propulsion, vertical-take-off-and landing (“VTOL”) aircraft. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Scott Howell is a highly decorated retired military leader whose time in service spanned Iraq, Afghanistan, the Pentagon and the White House. Notably, Howell helped accelerate the military’s organizational transformation while leading 14,000 Special Operations forces globally as the 15th Commander of Joint Special Operations Command. Previously, as Vice Commander for the U.S. Special Operations Command, he helped secure the largest-ever budget for the country’s most elite warfighters. Now in the private sector, Howell will continue his work with General Catalyst as an advisor focused on modern defense and intelligence. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
21 Jan25. The Cirlot Agency announces the appointment of its founder and CEO, Liza Cirlot Looser, to the National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Washington, D.C. Chapter Board of Directors for 2025. Her appointment recognizes her leadership and strategic expertise in advancing defense companies and initiatives in the U.S. (Source: Google)
21 Jan 25. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announced Ken Bedingfield, 52, has been appointed President, Aerojet Rocketdyne, effective Feb. 3, 2025, in addition to his responsibilities as L3Harris’ Chief Financial Officer. He succeeds Ross Niebergall, who will remain with the company to support a seamless transition before retiring. Sam Mehta’s role will be expanded to lead enterprise Strategic Collaboration Agreements while continuing to lead the Communication Systems segment. Mehta, 52, will establish, grow and leverage strategic relationships with industry partners to deploy next-generation capabilities to the U.S. and its allies. In addition, the company’s transformation initiative, LHX NeXt, led by Heidi Wood, 59, has been elevated to report to L3Harris Chair and Chief Executive Officer Chris Kubasik. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
22 Jan 25. QinetiQ US announced today the appointment of Tom Vecchiolla as President and Chief Executive, effective 17th January 2025, succeeding Shawn N. Purvis in leading QinetiQ US’ operations. A defence industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Vecchiolla joins QinetiQ US after serving on its Special Security Agreement Board since April 2024. His career spans military service, public sector leadership and defence industry executive roles. Vecchiolla spent 22 years as a US Navy pilot and DoD Acquisition Professional before transitioning to public service as national security and military affairs advisor on the US Senate staff. He later joined Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX), where he served 15 years, culminating in his role as president of Raytheon International Inc. He subsequently assumed responsibility as president and chief executive of ST Engineering North America responsible for all US operations of a diverse industrial and technology portfolio. (Source: Google/ADS)
23 Jan 25. Xona Space Systems (Xona), a leading provider of advanced satellite navigation services, is proud to announce the appointment of Jonathan “Jay” Wakenshaw as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. Jay brings over 25 years of global leadership experience across aerospace, aviation, and advanced manufacturing industries. Jay will spearhead Xona’s operational scale-up efforts and optimization of supply chains to expand the company from the prototype phase to full operational capacity of their PULSAR™ low Earth orbit satellite navigation system, and support operations to deliver state-of-the-art navigation services to a broad set of industries. (Source: PR Newswire)