Releases
Canberra, Nov. 27 – Lockheed Martin has appointed Mr. Steve Froelich as the vice
president of Rotary and Mission Systems operations for Australia and New Zealand, and
Programme Executive for AIR6500. He will be responsible for business performance and
organisational transformation, and will join the local leadership team to build a foundation for
future growth in the region.
A critical component of the future strategy will be leadership of Lockheed Martin’s efforts
related to the AIR6500 programme, which will provide an even greater level of capability and
integration across the Australian Defence Force (ADF). This transformational capability will
require a 5th generation, multi-domain technical solution. It will also require a strong
sovereign team with robust, trusted partnerships across multiple military services, large
companies, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“We are committed to putting the best people in front of this programme and Mr. Froelich’s
extensive experience spanning advanced multi-domain weapons systems, delivery of
complex command and control programs, and proven ability to create a united vision for
industry and Defence primes, uniquely qualifies him for this role,” said Joe North, Chief
Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand. “We plan to adopt the successful
approach taken for the Future Submarine Programme, which provides a trusted Defence
partnership, a strong sovereign industry capability, and ready access to U.S. capabilities and
experience.”
Mr. Froelich’s career spans 35 years of service with the military as a Surface Naval Officer
and with industry. In his prior role, he led Lockheed Martin’s Missile Defense Solutions,
which included the Missile Defense Agency’s Command and Control Battle Management
and Communications (C2MBC) programme. This unique programme leadership experience
involved managing a team of large prime contractors to deliver one of the most advanced
multi-domain command and control capabilities in the world.
C2BMC is operational at 33 locations in 17 time zones around the globe, integrating
capabilities from the Missile Defense Agency, all branches of the U.S. military, international
partners and allies. Mr. Froelich has also managed delivery of undersea sensing systems,
and has extensive experience in command and control, the Aegis Combat System, and
strike weapons for customers worldwide.
About Lockheed Martin Australia
Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1,000 people in Australia
working on a wide range of major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil
sectors.