HII promotes exec to new maritime systems post

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Thursday that it has promoted Eric Chewning to the newly created position of executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy.

Chewning was previously executive vice president of strategy and technology, but his new role expands his responsibilities to lead the company’s strategy around maritime and advanced technology development. He will work out of the company’s Arlington County office.

HII says the new role is part of HII’s strategy to “bolster U.S. maritime supremacy” by strengthening shipbuilding and fielding new multidomain warfighting capabilities.

Chewning joined HII in January 2023 and has previous experience leading industrial base policy for the U.S. Department of Defense. HII credits him for spearheading efforts to expand the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base through acquisitions, as well as expansion of domestic and international partnerships.

“HII is firmly committed to increasing shipbuilding throughput for the U.S. Navy,” HII President and CEO Chris Kastner said in a statement. “We are doing that both by improving performance within our shipyards and expanding the industrial base. Eric’s unique experience and skill sets continue to support our mission of delivering the capabilities our defense customers urgently need.”

Chewning will work alongside shipyard presidents to lead the company’s strategy for maritime capabilities and fleet architecture. He will also be involved with developing hybrid manned/unmanned teaming strategies, identifying outsourcing partners to accelerate throughput and driving business pursuits for new maritime capabilities. He will also oversee enterprise strategy and the Dark Sea Labs advanced technology group.

In June, HII announced it had formed a partnership with C3 AI, the Enterprise AI application software company, to expand digital technologies and apply artificial intelligence to accelerate shipbuilding throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions. HII intends to integrate AI solutions across its shipbuilding operations, including areas such as planning, operations, supply chain management and labor allocation. The company states that the partnership will provide opportunities for the production and sustainment of uncrewed vehicles.

Newport News-based HII is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder and the largest industrial employer in Virginia. The Fortune 500 company employs about 44,000 workers. It posted $11.5 billion in 2024 revenue.