Before the formation of Integrated Defense Systems, Boeing had extremely talented people to design, produce, modify and support a wide range of fighters, rotorcraft, trainers, surveillance and sensor platforms, radio and satellite based communication systems, as well as missiles and munitions. Boeing has long had a vast collection of technical competencies and skills, and leading manufacturing centers. While each of these is superb by themselves, the formation of Integrated Defense Systems’ customer facing business units – aligning internal and external operations with our customers – focuses the talents and skills to provide systems solutions. The strength of Naval Systems, led by John Lockard, positions Boeing to meet the transformational needs of its Department of Navy customers by aligning its vast capabilities to provide systems solutions instead of focusing on traditional aircraft and weapon procurements.

Each of the Naval Systems business units – Naval Aircraft, Naval Weapons, Navy Satellites, Ship/Submarine Systems, Network-Centric Systems, and Advanced Combat Aircraft & Exploration - has an excellent track record of program performance and has developed an environment of open and honest dialogue with its customers. The Naval Systems alignment positions Boeing to more fully apply its profound customer knowledge – to anticipate needs and provide innovative and capability-driven solutions quickly. By leveraging and expanding its systems integration experience, Naval Systems has the challenge to define a common architecture that provides real-time information to both the warfighter and command and control structures.

The Naval Systems team’s immediate success demands that it keep Boeing’s commitment to provide quality products to customers on time and on-cost. The near-term challenge of Naval Systems is to design, develop and provide network-centric applications into our products so that the Department of Navy has up-to-the minute and critical information to make key engagement decisions in the battlefield of the 21st century. Boeing’s solutions will provide needed information anywhere in the system to allow its customers to engage in joint operations.