Phebe Novakovic

General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic Named to 2021 Wash100 for Driving Company Growth; Expanding Senior Leadership; National Security Portfolio

Executive Mosaic is pleased to name Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of General Dynamics, as a recipient into the 2021 Wash100 Award for leading company initiatives in meeting federal government requirements and helping defend national security interests.

The recognition marks Novakovic’s seventh Wash100 Award and her sixth consecutive year as an inductee of the highest honor in the government contracting (GovCon) market. She received her 2020 award for driving General Dynamics’ growth, expanding its senior management team and promoting national security.

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Novakovic oversaw the company’s consolidation of its information technology and mission systems business segments into a single reporting unit by the end of 2020. The reorganization is aimed at promoting collaboration on federal contract opportunities in response to a higher demand for their combined services.

The technologies group covers IT, military intelligence systems and cybersecurity offerings. “This new reporting reflects the way we manage these businesses with group executive vice president Chris Marzilli reporting to me,” said Novakovic.

“We’ve also discovered in this era of end-to-end solutions melding technology hardware and software, these business units increasingly go to market together, seeking to provide end-to-end systems support and solutions.”

In mid-2020, General Dynamics also completed the sale of its antenna systems business to Communications & Power Industries for an undisclosed sum.

The former SATCOM Technologies designs and produces satellite communications antenna platforms used in defense, scientific and commercial applications as well as offers installation and engineering support and related radio frequency platforms and electronics. It was part of General Dynamics’ mission systems business unit.

In addition to reorganization efforts in support of meeting federal government needs, General Dynamics also received contracts from military service branches for defense systems and support services.

The former mission systems business of General Dynamics won an $883 million contract from the U.S. Army for the modernization of the Live Training Transformation product line. The eight-year contract also provides for maintenance of LT2’s framework, architecture and individual platforms.

In June, General Dynamics’ ordnance and tactical systems unit was tapped to produce Hydra-70 rocket systems under a potential $3.4 billion Army contract. GD-OTS’ work on the cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract is expected to run through 2026.

Land Systems, another company segment, contributed to General Dynamics’ contract wins in 2020. It secured a potential $2.5 billion Army contract to manufacture Stryker Double V-Hull A1 infantry carrier vehicles with an engineering change proposal configuration, and a potential $4.6 billion contract for the production of modernized M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks in support of the military service branch.

Aside from delivering land-based defense systems, General Dynamics also provides submarines in support of U.S. naval operations.

The company’s electric boat business will build and test the first two Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and provide related design and engineering services under a potential $9.5 billion Navy contract modification. Electric Boat also received an award for continued delivery of engineering and design support for the submarines.

Moreover, General Dynamics subsidiary Gulfstream Aerospace will provide recurring engineering and data support for the C-20/C-37 fleet of airplanes used by high-ranking Department of Defense and government officials. Work at various military installations is under a potential 10-year, $612 million contract in support of the U.S. Air Force and other military service branches.

With several contract wins, the former IT business of General Dynamics also added to the company’s footprint in the government contracting market. GDIT will provide services in support of the Pentagon under a General Services Administration (GSA) contract; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and other agencies.

“Our defense segments continued to capture significant awards, leading to a record-high backlog, while our aerospace segment not only remained very profitable, but actually improved its margins throughout the year, even as the broader business aviation industry contracted severely due to the pandemic,” said Novakovic, who has served as chair and chief executive of General Dynamics since 2013.

The company reported a full-year net earnings of $3.2 billion on revenue of $37.9 billion in 2020. Novakovic attributed improvements in financial results partly to General Dynamics’ continued focus on employee and operating performance.

Executive Mosaic congratulates General Dynamics and Phebe Novakovic for her 2021 Wash100 Award. Her commitment to company growth and U.S. national security has cemented Novakovic as a top executive in the government contracting sector.

About Wash100

This year represents the eighth annual Wash100 award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector.

These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement, and vision. Visitors to Wash100.com can sign in and vote for the executives they believe will have the greatest impact on government contracting in the coming year.

The media team at Executive Mosaic writes individualized articles for each recipient of the Wash100 award, providing a write up on the executive centered around their career history and highlights.