Former Army Secretary Fanning to head AIA

Former Army Secretary Eric Fanning will join the Aerospace Industries Association on Jan. 1 as president and CEO, the defense sector trade group said Monday.

Fanning will succeed retired Army Lt. Gen. and former Exelis CEO David Melcher, who has led the AIA since mid-2015. Melcher said in July that he would retire from AIA.

Upon his 2016 Army secretary swearing in, Fanning became the first person to have held senior civilian leadership roles in all three military departments and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

His 25-year government career also includes roles such as chief of staff in OSD, acting secretary of the Air Force, undersecretary of the Air Force, and deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer at the Navy.

Arlington, Va.-headquartered AIA represents almost 325 major aerospace-and-defense companies that recorded almost $872 million in sales last year.

The sector is the U.S.' second-largest net exporter and employs 2.4 million workers that make up for 13 percent of the country's manufacturing workforce, according to AIA.