The board of General Dynamics has appointed Danny Deep as the new CEO effective from January 1, 2027. Deep, who has been president of the company since 2025, replaces Phebe Novakovic, CEO since 2013 and now the executive chair.
The board of directors of General Dynamics, parent company of the Spanish Santa Bárbara Sistemas, has approved the appointment of Danny Deep as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective from January 1, 2027. The decision, as reported by eldia.es, was communicated on Monday in a statement from the American defence and aerospace company.
Deep, who currently serves as the corporation's president, will take over from Phebe Novakovic, who has led the group as CEO since 2013 and will assume the role of executive chair. The board thus maintains the leadership structure with a transition announced nearly a year in advance.
“Danny is a highly qualified executive with extensive operational experience. It has been a pleasure to work closely with him, and I am confident he will be an exceptional CEO,” Novakovic stated.
The lead independent director, Laura J. Schumacher, added that the board has “full confidence” that Deep will continue Novakovic's legacy.
Danny Deep has accumulated 25 years at General Dynamics, where he has held positions of increasing responsibility. Before becoming president in 2025, he was the executive vice president of Global Operations, executive vice president of Combat Systems, and president of Land Systems.
Headquartered in Reston (Virginia), General Dynamics employs over 120,000 people and reported $52.6 billion in revenue for the fiscal year 2025. Its businesses encompass executive aviation, shipbuilding and repair, ground combat vehicles, weapons and munitions systems, and technology products.
The appointment places a manager with ties to the Spanish defence industry at the helm of the American giant. Deep has acted as General Dynamics' interlocutor with the Ministry of Defence regarding Santa Bárbara Sistemas, its subsidiary in Spain.
In discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence, then led by Amparo Valcarce, Deep defended the strategic future of the company in Spain against proposals for sector reorganisation that suggested integrating assets into Indra, a company the Government wanted to turn into the national champion of defence.
During that dialogue, the executive focused on preserving the continuity of the group's operational model in Spain and direct management over key programmes such as the 8x8 Dragón armoured vehicle and the maintenance of Leopard tanks.
The former president of Indra, Ángel Escribano, had expressed from the outset of his term the intention to acquire Santa Bárbara, owned by General Dynamics, with the backing of the Executive. However, the plan did not progress: Indra made its intention public on March 12, and just five days later, General Dynamics closed the door on the sale, arguing that it had invested nearly €500 million in the subsidiary.
The leadership transition at General Dynamics will take effect on January 1, 2027, when Deep will formally assume the role of CEO and Novakovic will move to the executive chair.
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