BlueForge Alliance Forms Strategic Advisory Board of Distinguished Military and Industry Experts
BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION, Texas – BlueForge Alliance (BFA), the nonprofit integrator for the U.S. Navy’s maritime manufacturing sector, today announced the formation of its Strategic Advisory Board.
The Strategic Advisory Board will guide and advise BFA’s leadership team on strategic matters through diversity of expertise, objective insights, and long-term focus. Board members will provide a wide variety of perspectives necessary for maximizing BFA’s role and impact in addressing critical challenges and supporting opportunities aligned to U.S. submarine production and sustainment.
On his appointment, Ambassador Kenneth J. Braithwaite, retired Rear Admiral and the 77th Secretary of the Navy commented, “It’s an honor to join BlueForge Alliance, an essential partner with the Navy’s industrial base to strengthen maritime manufacturing. During my time as SecNav, shipbuilding in general and submarine building in particular was a major priority. Now, I am most excited to get to work with the BlueForge team as well as this diverse, outstanding group of advisory board members. Working together with our industry partners, we will assist the Navy in achieving its “1+2” production goals for the Columbia and Virginia Class boats. Full Speed Ahead!”
The five-member group includes leaders from the defense, technology and finance industries who are able to contribute and support BFA as industry champions across its stakeholder base and introduce partnerships and collaborations not normally accessible through BFA channels but necessary in advancing progress towards the Navy’s 1+2 mission.
Ambassador Kenneth Braithwaite
The Honorable Kenneth J. Braithwaite served as secretary of the Navy from 2020-2021, as well as U.S. ambassador to Norway. Under his leadership in the Navy, he orchestrated the first tri-service maritime strategy which aligned the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard with the national defense strategy. Other naval career highlights include commanding Navy Combat Camera Atlantic (for Operation Iraqi Freedom); becoming first commander of Joint Public Affairs Support Element -Joint Forces Command (for disaster relief in Pakistan); serving as chief of public affairs at the Philadelphia naval base, and more. In the private sector, Amb. Braithwaite has held executive roles in the healthcare and petroleum industries. He also is a fellow of the NATO School in Germany, an adjunct professor at Kristiania University in Norway and member of the American Academy of Diplomacy. Amb. Braithwaite graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Admiral James Foggo III (Retired)
Admiral James Foggo is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience leading operations across diverse environments. He currently serves as the dean for the Center for Maritime Strategy, a nonprofit think tank partnered with the Navy League of the U.S. During his decorated career in the U.S. Navy, Adm. Foggo served in numerous high-profile roles, including commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa and Allied Joint Force Command in Italy, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, director of U.S. Navy Staff, and deputy director of Operations for Strategy, Plans & Policy, among others. Today, he serves as a trusted advisor to several organizations, including the American Academy of Diplomacy, Olmstead Foundation, U.S. Institute of Peace, Center for European Policy Analysis, Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for Naval Analysis. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Adm. Foggo also holds graduate degrees from Harvard University and the University of Strasbourg, France.
Stephen Rodriguez
Stephen Rodriguez is the managing partner of One Defense and will serve as the BFA Strategic Advisory Board Chairman. He has also been an active investor in defense technology for the past 10 years. Stephen began his career in management consulting, working in the national security sector. He later became a senior leader at an artificial intelligence company and an international defense corporation. Throughout his career, he has been in and out of government to include service in Colombia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. Stephen currently serves as a director or advisor to 13 venture-backed companies. He is also a commission director at the Atlantic Council and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Stephen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, respectively.
Francis Finelli
Frank Finelli is a senior advisor to The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm that he served for more than 25 years (ultimately as partner and managing director). He also worked as legislative assistant for former Senator Dan Coats (R-IN). A former field artillery master gunner in the U.S. Army, Frank served in the 82nd Airborne, 1st Armored, and 3rd Infantry Divisions. Other Army highlights include special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the first Quadrennial Defense Review, as well as working for the vice chairman in restructuring the Joint Requirements Oversight Council. Today, Frank is a Chartered Financial Analyst and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Lexington Institute and Atlantic Council. He also serves as a director for Army Emergency Relief, Business Executives for National Security and the MIT Sloan School Executive Board. Frank graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. He holds master’s degrees from MIT and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Jeffery “Scott” Baum
Jeffery “Scott” Baum is the Chief Operating Officer of Sempre AI, an edge infrastructure company supporting government and commercial customers. Previously, Scott was the vice president of strategy and growth for Elbit Systems of America. Scott also served as the principal director at the Office of Industrial Policy for the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. There, he led multiple initiatives to ensure robust, secure and innovative capabilities for both current and future warfighting requirements. He also headed a strategic initiative to invest in and expand manufacturing capacity and capability in the U.S. In addition to his civilian experience, Scott is currently serving as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves where he has operational experience in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, China and Tanzania. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and master’s degrees from Texas Christian University and the National Defense University.
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About BlueForge Alliance
BlueForge Alliance (BFA) is a nonprofit defense industrial base integrator that supports the U.S. Navy’s industrial base initiatives and efforts to strengthen and sustain the maritime manufacturing sector. BFA is a critical partner in the SIB’s mission to ensure industry has the capability, capacity, and resilience to build and maintain America’s next generation of undersea platforms. BFA is headquartered in Bryan/College Station, Texas. For more information, visit www.BlueForgeAlliance.us.
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