ARLINGTON, Va., (Oct. 25, 2023) — Global all-domain defense provider HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that Brig. Gen. Paul Tennant (British Army, Ret.) has been named corporate vice president of engagement and international government relations. He will succeed Joe Tofalo, who will retire in December after five years with the company and 35 years in the U.S. Navy. Tennant will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR).

Tennant will inform national security policy and future force capabilities through engagement 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 GCR on international initiatives, including the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership and will coordinate engagement with foreign governments, embassies and relevant organizations.

“We are delighted to have Paul join our team and take on this important role while HII expands domestically and internationally,” Holmes said. “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 corporate efforts at HII and position us to be a stronger partner for our customers.”

His last position in uniform was as defense adviser for the U.K. to Canada, where he was responsible for oversight of the defense relationship between the two countries. Previously, he served as military attaché and deputy defense attaché for the U.K. in Washington, D.C., working principally on the management and advancement of the relationship between the U.S. and British armies.

Tennant began his military career as an army aviator and served on multiple deployments in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. He was chief of the Joint Fires and Influence Branch, Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, NATO, and served on exchange to the U.S. Army as special assistant to then-Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno. Tennant holds Master of Arts degrees from both University of St Andrews and Cranfield University.

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 About HII

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.

As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 43,000 strong. For more information, visit: