BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has appointed Robert Rangel, 55, to senior vice president for Washington Operations and a corporate officer effective Jan. 1, 2015. Rangel succeeds Greg Dahlberg, 63, who has been named senior vice president for Strategic Enterprise Initiatives and will retire in August 2015.

In his new role, Rangel will be responsible for leading the corporation's engagements with Congress, the Department of Defense and all other federal government offices and agencies in the Washington, D.C. area. He will also be responsible for managing all state and local government relationships and he will chair the Lockheed Martin Employee Political Action Committee.

"Robert has decades of experience working with our nation's congressional and Department of Defense leaders," said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson. "I'm confident his outstanding leadership and expertise will keep our customer relationships strong and ensure we continue to keep Congress, the Pentagon and government agencies well informed about our national security, aerospace and civil government programs."

Rangel is currently vice president of Lockheed Martin Programs and Global Security Policy, where he is responsible for managing the Corporation's relationships with the Department of Defense and several key U.S. federal agencies.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2011, Rangel served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. In this role, he advised and ensured execution of the Secretary of Defense's direction on Defense Department operations, policy, strategy, budget, programs, personnel and organizational issues, and legislative and public affairs. Rangel also previously served as the staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Kentucky.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 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