.AeroVironment Appoints Milancy Harris as Vice President and Chief Security Officer

ARLINGTON, Va. (BUSINESS WIRE) — AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) announced today that Milancy Harris has joined the company as Vice President and Chief Security Officer (CSO). In this role, Harris will lead an integrated, enterprise‑wide security strategy designed to protect the firm’s people, programs, technologies, and customers as it broadens its mission portfolio.

Milancy Harris joins AeroVironment as Vice President and Chief Security Officer, bringing years of national security experience to strengthen protection of AV’s people, programs, and mission.

“Milancy brings extraordinary experience, clear strategic vision, and deep integrity to our organization,” said Wahid Nawabi, chairman, president and chief executive officer of AeroVironment. “Her leadership will ensure AV operates with the highest standards of trust and resilience while empowering our teams to innovate boldly and deliver critical capabilities for those we serve.”

Harris arrives after a distinguished career in both the U.S. government and the private sector. Most recently, she served as Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, overseeing the Department of Defense’s intelligence, counter‑intelligence, security, and law‑enforcement missions. Earlier, she was Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism, where she shaped policy on irregular warfare, counter‑terrorism, and the employment of special‑operations forces.

Prior to her senior defense roles, Harris began as an all‑source analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and later held senior positions at the National Counterterrorism Center, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Council. In the corporate arena, she helped launch Meta’s Oversight Board, serving as its first Chief of Staff and establishing an independent global entity focused on transparency and accountability.

“AeroVironment’s mission sits at the intersection of innovation, national security, and public trust,” Harris said. “I am honored to join a team that delivers critical capabilities to our warfighters and government partners. Protecting AV’s people, programs, and technologies is essential to that mission, and I look forward to building a security organization that enables the company to grow, innovate, and serve with excellence.”

Strategic Implications for Investors

Appointing a former senior defense official as CSO signals AeroVironment’s commitment to fortifying its cyber‑physical risk posture—a factor increasingly scrutinized by institutional investors. In an environment where supply‑chain disruptions, ransomware attacks, and espionage threats can erode margins, a robust security architecture is directly tied to operational continuity and brand reputation.

The defense sector is experiencing a wave of modernization spending, with U.S. defense budgets projected to exceed $800 billion over the next five years. AeroVironment’s portfolio—spanning autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter‑UAS technologies, space‑based platforms, directed‑energy weapons, and electronic warfare—positions it to capture a share of this growth. However, the same technologies attract heightened adversary interest, making proactive security leadership a competitive differentiator.

From a valuation perspective, analysts often apply a “security premium” to companies that demonstrate mature risk‑management frameworks. By integrating Harris’s expertise in intelligence, counter‑terrorism, and oversight, AeroVironment can potentially lower insurance costs, accelerate contract win‑rates with sensitive government customers, and mitigate the financial impact of potential data breaches.

Technology Outlook

AeroVironment’s AI‑driven AV_Halo suite—an end‑to‑end software stack that enables detection, decision‑making, and delivery on the battlefield—relies on secure data pipelines and resilient cloud‑edge architectures. Harris’s background in overseeing classified intelligence networks equips the company to harden these pipelines against advanced persistent threats (APTs) and insider risks.

In addition, the company’s recent push into directed‑energy and cyber‑electronic warfare systems introduces new vectors of vulnerability, from firmware integrity to supply‑chain component provenance. A CSO with deep government connections can streamline compliance with emerging defense acquisition regulations, such as the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and the National Defense Authorization Act’s supply‑chain risk provisions.

Industry Context

The defense‑technology market is consolidating around a few key players that can deliver integrated, multi‑domain solutions. AeroVironment’s niche—lightweight, autonomous platforms that can operate across air, land, sea, and space—offers a clear value proposition, but success hinges on trust. Recent high‑profile cyber incidents at peer firms underscore how quickly a single breach can jeopardize entire program portfolios and trigger contract penalties.

By bolstering its security governance, AeroVironment aligns itself with the growing “Zero‑Trust” paradigm that the Pentagon is mandating across its acquisition ecosystem. For shareholders, this translates into reduced litigation risk, higher likelihood of contract renewals, and a stronger narrative for long‑term growth.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense‑technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. The company develops autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter‑UAS technologies, space‑based platforms, directed‑energy weapons, and electronic‑warfare solutions. Central to its offering is AV_Halo, a modular AI‑powered software suite that provides warfighters with end‑to‑end battlefield dominance—detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AeroVironment offers proven systems and future‑defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this release may constitute “forward‑looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the company’s ability to perform under existing contracts and secure new contracts, regulatory changes, competitive actions, market growth, product‑development challenges, and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update forward‑looking statements in light of new information or future events.