L-3 Appoints Dr. William Johnson Pres Of ABS

APPOINTMENTS

New York NY (SPX) Jan 5, 2006
L-3 Communications recently announced that Dr. William Johnson has been promoted to president of its Advanced Systems division. He will succeed Robert J. Whalen, who has retired from this position, but will continue to serve L-3 as a corporate technical advisor. Mr. Whalen will also continue to serve Advanced Systems as an advisor on development initiatives.

With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Johnson, age 50, was most recently vice president and general manager of the Advanced Systems business, a position he held since November 2004.

Prior to that, Dr. Johnson served for nearly ten years as an Army Program Manager affiliated with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on a variety of advanced development programs, including the Future Combat System and several advanced tactical trainers.

Dr. Johnson also served as a director of International Cooperation with the Joint Military Affairs Group in Korea, serving as the U.S. Embassy manager of government-to-government military co-development and co-production projects. Dr. Johnson also held a number of senior staff positions within the U.S. Army from 1984 to 1991, when he retired with the rank of Colonel.

"Our Advanced Systems business is an innovator in creating new products, like the X-Craft and the Affordable Weapon Systems, which will revolutionize warfighting, as well as a leader in the application of new technologies toward increasing product functionality," said Frank C. Lanza, chairman and chief executive officer of L-3 Communications.

"Bill's solid background in technology development, planning and execution combined with his experience in policy development and administration, make him the perfect choice to lead this business. Additionally, we are very pleased to retain the talents of Bob Whalen, who will support a variety of technology initiatives across L-3."

Dr. Johnson received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. Dr. Johnson also earned a Master of Science in National Resource Management from the National Defense University and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Factors Psychology from the University of Central Florida. He has also received several management certifications from the Defense Acquisition University, as well as over one dozen military commendations.

APPOINTMENTS

Schroeder Defends His New Russian Job

Kehl Am Rhein, Germany (UPI) Dec 13, 2005
After days of silence former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has fired back at critics demanding from him to give up his new job at a German-Russian pipeline project.