HII names new VP of engagement, intl. gov relations

Huntington Ingalls Industries has named retired British Army Brig. Gen. Paul Tennant corporate vice president of engagement and international government relations, the Newport News-based shipbuilder announced Wednesday.

Tennant will be located in HII’s Arlington office and will work on national security policy and future force capabilities by engaging with think tanks, professional organizations, federal entities, academia, consultancies and other third-party advocates in support of HII campaigns and priorities. In addition, he will lead and provide oversight for government and customer relations on international initiatives, including the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States partnership, and will coordinate engagement with foreign governments, embassies and other relevant organizations.

Tennant succeeds Joe Tofalo, who will retire in December after five years with HII and 35 years in the U.S. Navy.

“We are delighted to have Paul join our team and take on this important role while HII expands domestically and internationally,” Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president for government and customer relations, said in a statement. “Paul brings over 30 years of leadership and security cooperation expertise. He has forged strong partnerships within the national security environment at embassies, combatant commands, at the joint level and with many important third-party institutions. Paul’s network, coupled with his extensive security cooperation background, will strengthen the cross divisional and cooperate efforts at HII and position us to be a stronger partner for our customers.”

Tennant’s last position in uniform was as defense adviser for the U.K. to Canada, where oversaw the the defense relationship between the two countries. He previously served as military attaché and deputy defense attaché for the U.K. in Washington, D.C., working to manage and advance the relationship between the U.S. and British armies.

Tennant began his military career as an aviator and served on multiple deployments in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. From September 2015 through August 2018, he was chief of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps’ Joint Fires and Influence Branch and has also served on exchange to the U.S. Army as special assistant to then-Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno. Tennant has master’s degrees from the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, and Cranfield University, in the U.K.