Committee of recent DoD leaders highlights company’s commitment to accelerating the deployment of Open Standards mission systems

Pacific Defense, an emerging aerospace technology company delivering open standards solutions, announced today the formation of a strategic advisory board comprised of recognized Department of Defense former leaders who bring a depth of experience and leadership to the company. Following launch of the company in 2020, Pacific Defense is expanding its strategic focus as it accelerates the development and adoption of modular, open standards mission systems enabled by advanced software applications and AI/ML technology.

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David Norquist (Photo: Business Wire)

“Our country is encountering unprecedented security challenges from peer adversaries in the form of advanced cyber and electromagnetic capabilities, placing greater demand on US and coalition forces to rapidly advance electromagnetic spectrum operations mission systems built on true open standards with the ability for rapid capability deployment and technology refresh,” said Travis Slocumb, CEO of Pacific Defense. “In a world of rapidly advancing commercial technology, coupled with aggressive adversarial military expansion and challenging budget environments, our strategic advisory board of experts will aid our decision-making processes and expand our reach to help our customers meet this unprecedented security challenge.”

The anchor members of the Pacific Defense advisory board include:

David Norquist – Most recently serving as Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Norquist’s service to the nation spans over 30 years in various roles. Mr. Norquist began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow and a Program Budget Analyst for the Department of the Army before joining the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense as a professional staff member. From 2002 to 2006, he served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Comptroller. In 2006, former President George W. Bush selected him to be the first Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to assuming the role of Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Norquist was appointed as the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/CFO. Mr. Norquist was also a Partner with Kearney and Company, a certified public accounting firm focused exclusively on the federal government.

Alan Shaffer - Most recently serving as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Sustainment), Mr. Shaffer has a long, distinguished career in service to our nation in both civilian and military roles. Before entering the federal government in 2000, Mr. Shaffer served 24 years as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force and retired in the grade of Colonel, holding positions in command, weather, intelligence, and acquisition oversight. He has employed these skills furthering our nation’s science and technology progress at home and abroad, including three years as Director of the NATO Collaboration Support Office, where he was responsible for promoting S&T collaboration in the 5,000-scientist-strong NATO network.

“As an anchor member of the Pacific Defense advisory board, I am thrilled to be part of an organization that is focused on addressing the department’s most pressing challenges,” said Shaffer. “Our nation’s adversaries have demonstrated the ability to go very fast and operate in non-conventional ways. Pacific Defense was built from the ground up to address the department’s need for agility and non-traditional solutions. I’m looking forward to helping the company focus and accelerate its mission.”

“The character of warfare is changing and to succeed DoD needs innovative firms that understand the electromagnetic spectrum to bring new technologies to bear on this critical domain. Pacific Defense is a non-traditional company focused on delivering truly open, affordable capabilities in an agile development framework,” said Mr. Norquist. “I’m excited to join this dynamic industry team that is responding to the Department’s call for change and look forward to helping them build their company as it works to help solve our Nation’s challenging security problems.”

About Pacific Defense

Headquartered in El Segundo, California, Pacific Defense has assembled a portfolio of industry leading technology companies including: Spectranetix (based in Sunnyvale CA), Perceptronics Solutions (based in Falls Church VA), and Spear Research (based in Nashua NH). Pacific Defense was formed to support the DoD’s disciplined movement to modular open standards, including CMOSS/SOSA, and to mirror the way military services address EMS warfare with holistic mission planning and execution. Pacific Defense takes an organic, commercial-minded approach to developing military-use advanced solutions delivering EW, SIGINT, Comms and C2 capabilities to the DoD. Products are designed from the outset for modern, AI-driven autonomy with CMOSS and SOSA-aligned hardware and software. This includes state-of-the-art processing that can readily follow the evolution of commercial technology with complete data sharing across networks and platforms. See more information at www.pacific-defense.com and www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-defense

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