- Petters led HII from its 2011 Northrop Grumman spin-off until 2022
- He joined Newport News Shipbuilding in 1987 in submarine construction
- Return comes as the Navy pushes for higher submarine production rates
HII has elected former CEO and President Mike Petters to its board of directors, bringing back the executive who led the shipbuilder through its separation from Northrop Grumman.
Petters, a past Wash100 Award recipient, stepped down in 2022 after steering the 2011 spin-off that created Huntington Ingalls Industries and serving as its first chief executive, the company said Tuesday. He remained with HII as executive vice chairman of the board through that year’s transition.
Chairman Kirkland Donald said the board will draw on Petters’ expertise as HII ramps up capacity for the Navy.
Submarine production capacity and industrial base resilience remain priorities across defense modernization. The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2027 Defense R&D Summit on Feb. 4 in Virginia, where Department of War and national security technology officials will discuss unmanned systems and advanced defense technologies. Save your seat now.
What Is Petters’ Shipbuilding Background?
Petters joined Newport News Shipbuilding in 1987, supporting the Los Angeles-class submarine construction division, and rose to become president of the shipyard before taking the top job at the parent company.
A 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in physics, he served aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS George Bancroft and spent five years in the Navy Reserve. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from William & Mary
Petters has chaired the Virginia Business Council and the Aerospace Industries Association, and serves on the boards of the Naval Academy Foundation and the U.S. Naval Institute. In 2016, he established HII’s scholarship fund, which has supported more than 1,900 students.
What Submarine Production Pressures Is HII Facing?
The appointment comes as the submarine industrial base works to close a production gap. The Navy needs to reach and exceed one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class hulls per year, Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher, director of submarine programs, said this month, noting the enterprise currently delivers about half the tonnage required.
HII Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat jointly build both classes. Anduril Industries announced plans this month for Arsenal-2, a $6.6 billion component yard at Sparrows Point in Maryland that would supply torpedo tubes, impulse tanks and module assemblies to the two prime yards for final assembly. Gaucher said that the arrangement would let the primes concentrate on final module outfitting, reactor integration, assembly, testing, and delivery.
What Else Is HII Working On?
HII reported $3.4 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 10.9 percent year over year, with a backlog of roughly $57.3 billion and $6.7 billion in new awards during the quarter.
Its mission technologies division won a potential seven-year, $2.2 billion GSA task order in August for surveillance, tracking and intelligence work supporting U.S. Southern Command, issued under the ASTRO vehicle. That division took a $3 billion task order in October 2024 covering logistics, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
