ARLINGTON, Va. — Retired Army Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood has joined BlueHalo’s board of advisors, the company announced.
Thurgood will advise strategic initiatives to advance BlueHalo’s position as the new alternative prime in the defense and national security market, BlueHalo said in a news release.
“I have spent my career focused on providing soldiers the tools and resources they need to complete their mission successfully and return home safely. Though I’ve now hung up my uniform, I still wake up every day with that same desire to support our soldiers,” said Thurgood. “That’s why I’m thankful for this opportunity to join BlueHalo. With an impressive suite of technology, an incredibly talented team of innovators, and a mission-focused drive that permeates the culture, BlueHalo is developing next-generation capabilities to meet the complex challenges of today and into the future.
“I’m excited to be a part of this work.”
Thurgood capped off a 37-year military career as director for Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition and the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office at Redstone Arsenal.
“General Thurgood has devoted his career to maintaining our nation’s technological superiority through innovation and delivering soldier-centered solutions to our warfighters,” said BlueHalo CEO Jonathan Moneymaker. “It is an incredible honor to welcome General Thurgood to the BlueHalo team.
“His leadership, strategic vision, and proven success at establishing rapid development pathways will be an incredible asset to our company as we continue to build an enduring platform and develop capabilities to address near-peer and asymmetric threats faced by our nation.”
Thurgood enlisted in the Army in 1983 and was commissioned as an Aviation Branch Officer in 1986. He served in multiple company grade and battalion aviation positions in both the U.S. and overseas, including combat deployments in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Prior to his role with RCCTO, from which he retired in September, Thurgood served as the director for Test for the Missile Defense Agency, deputy director of Acquisition and Systems Management for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army in Washington, D.C., and Program Executive Officer for Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal.
Thurgood holds an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Utah; a master’s degree in Systems Acquisition Management from the Naval Postgraduate School; a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Air University, Air War College; and a doctorate in Strategic Planning and Organizational Leadership from the University of Sarasota.
Virginia-based BlueHalo, which has two facilities in Huntsville, provides capabilities in space superiority, space technology, directed energy/counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, autonomy, cyber, and signals intelligence.
