The board of directors of the American defense and aerospace company General Dynamics, parent company of Santa Bárbara Sistemas, has decided to appoint Danny Deep as the new chief executive officer (CEO) effective January 1, 2027, according to the multinational.
Deep, who currently holds the presidency of the corporation, will succeed Phebe Novakovic in the position, who will take on the role of executive chair after having led the group as CEO since 2013.
"Danny is a highly qualified executive with extensive operational experience. It has been a pleasure to work closely with him and I am confident that he will be an exceptional CEO," Novakovic stated, emphasizing her desire to continue collaborating in this new stage.
For her part, the lead independent director of the board, Laura J. Schumacher, indicated that the governing body has "full confidence" that Deep will continue the leadership legacy left by Phebe Novakovic.
During his 25-year career at General Dynamics, Danny Deep has taken on roles of increasing responsibility. Before being appointed president of the company in 2025, he held the positions of executive vice president of Global Operations, executive vice president of Combat Systems, and president of Land Systems.
Headquartered in Reston (Virginia), General Dynamics has more than 120,000 employees worldwide and recorded revenues of $52.6 billion in 2025. Its activities encompass executive aviation, shipbuilding and repair, ground combat vehicles, weapon and ammunition systems, as well as technology solutions and services.
Key interlocutor with the Spanish Ministry of Defense
The rise of Danny Deep places a widely known profile in the Spanish defense industry at the helm of the American group, due to his role as an interlocutor for General Dynamics with the Ministry of Defense regarding its subsidiary Santa Bárbara Sistemas.
In meetings held with the Secretary of State for Defense, led by Amparo Valcarce, the executive defended the strategic role of the company in Spain against proposals for the reorganization of the sector that suggested integrating certain assets into Indra, a firm that the Government aimed to turn into the national champion of the defense industry.
In that dialogue process, Deep focused on ensuring the continuity of the group's operational model in Spain and on emphasizing the strategic relevance of maintaining direct management of key military supply programs, such as the 8x8 Dragón armored vehicle or the maintenance of the Leopard tanks, analyzing different options to ensure the stability and long-term presence of the company in the country.