GM Defense Announces JD Johnson as New Vice President, Business Development

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, today announced that Lieutenant General (Retired) John "JD" Johnson has joined the company's growing leadership team as vice president of Business Development. Johnson will be responsible for identifying growth opportunities among military and government customers that align with GM Defense's core capabilities, including integrated vehicles, power and propulsion, and mobility and autonomy. He will also lead customer engagements and develop strategic plans to win competitive pursuits in the defense and government markets in the United States and abroad.

Johnson spent more than 35 years in the U.S. Army, holding numerous senior positions within the Department of Defense, including director of the Department of Defense's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization and Commander of Eighth Army in the Republic of Korea.

After his years of active service in uniform, Johnson entered the private sector and held numerous leadership posts within Raytheon, most recently holding the position of acting vice president of Customer Engagement and Solutions, and previously serving as vice president of U.S. Government Integrated Solutions for Raytheon Intelligence & Space and vice president of Business Development for U.S. Army and Special Operations.

Johnson comes to General Motors with a deep knowledge of the Department of Defense customer, a multitude of relationships with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, as well as within each of the Military Services, and also provides GM with a wealth of knowledge about the international military market.

"JD will play an integral role accelerating our relationships within the national security community, as well as expanding our partner dialogues and growing our global pipeline," said Stephen S. duMont, president of GM Defense. "JD brings a robust understanding of defense acquisitions, specifically how to shape and grow programs that provide enduring value to our warfighters. Having someone with JD's impressive background and capabilities at the helm of Business Development will greatly improve our ability to bring innovative solutions to our defense and government customers. I'm extremely excited to have JD on the GM Defense leadership team."

Johnson will assume the role from Angela Ambrose, who has served as interim vice president of Business Development since March 2020. She will resume her regular duties of vice president of Government Relations and Communications effective immediately.

GM Defense recently won a contract to develop and validate next-generation Large Support Utility Commercial Vehicles (SUV) for future fleet production in support of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. The Infantry Squad Vehicle, a light and agile nine-troop carrier based off the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, is the company's first program of record, awarded by the U.S. Army in 2020.

As part of GM's Global Innovation organization, GM Defense will continue to leverage GM's vast investments and proven capabilities to bring new, innovative solutions to the government and defense sector, creating growth opportunities for the company. For the latest GM Defense news, please visit www.GMDefenseLLC.com and follow GM Defense on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About GM Defense LLC

GM Defense delivers integrated vehicles, power & propulsion, and mobility & autonomy solutions to global defense, security and government markets. The exceptional reliability of GM Defense's technologies results from decades of proven performance and billions of dollars spent in independent research and development by its parent, General Motors, a world leader in global design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

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