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BE'ER SHEVA, Israel, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson officially opened our newest office in Israel today to support the Corporation's growing presence in that important country. The new office further demonstrates the Corporation's commitment to supporting the Israeli Defense Force and their "Move to the South" campaign.
Former Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Shelly Gotman was recently appointed as managing director of Israel for the company's Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) business and will lead the office. Lockheed Martin's IS&GS business has been the number one provider of information technology solutions and services to the U.S. government for the past 19 years. It has been growing its international presence with major operations in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. Current IS&GS customers include NATO; British air traffic management organization NATS; the Australian Tax office; and the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice.
Remarks by Marillyn Hewson, as prepared for delivery, at today's office opening:
I would like to begin by extending my welcome to Mayor Danilovich. Thank you for the support you've given us in establishing this new facility.
To our partners from academia, the business community, government officials, members of the Israeli Defense Force and special guests. Welcome and thank you all for being here today. This is an extremely important day and I am happy to be a part of it.
The opening of our Lockheed Martin office here in Be'er Sheva is a demonstration of our commitment to supporting the Israeli Defense Force's "Move to the South" strategy. Establishing this office is also an important step in the establishment of Lockheed Martin in Israel.
We are investing here and building our local team to ensure we have the resources required to support our valued customers and trusted partners in Israel. In fact, Joshua (Shani) introduced Shelly Gotman who has just joined the Lockheed Martin team as our new Director of Information Systems & Global Solutions office here, in Be'er Sheva.
Shelly is a former fighter pilot and was a Brigadier General in the Israeli Air Force and we are proud to have him on our team.
The consolidation of IDF Technical Units to new bases in the Negev Desert region is an important transformation of Israel's information technology capability. We understand the challenges of this move. Which is why we are investing in the facilities and people that will ensure we are prepared to support for these critical projects. By locating our new office in the capital of the Negev we are well positioned to work closely with our Israeli partners and stand ready to: accelerate project execution, reduce program risk and share our technical expertise by training and developing in-country talent.
In the United States, Silicon Valley stands as our country's "center for information technology innovation." With the opening of this office and the strategic investments being made by the IDF it is clear that Be'er Sheva is on its way to becoming the Silicon Valley of Israel.
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion understood the potential for this region when he called for pioneering settlement of the Negev Desert nearly 60 years ago. He spoke with his actions when he himself moved to this region later in life.
The "Move to the South" initiative is a significant step in fulfilling Ben-Gurion's vision of "making the desert bloom." And we are proud to be a part of this national center of excellence for information technology in the south.
Thank you for being here today. And it's my pleasure to welcome you to the newest Lockheed Martin Israel office.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin