Esper joins defense tech firm's board

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has lined up a new role in the industry seven months after he left the Pentagon.

In a release Thursday, Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions said Esper has been elected to its board of directors. CAES was formerly part of Cobham PLC, the British aerospace company acquired in January 2020 by private equity firm Advent International Corp.

Advent restructured CAES as a standalone company two months after the initial deal closed so that business could continue to pursue and work on classified U.S. government programs. Then in September, CAES appointed former Northrop Grumman executive Mike Kahn as CEO.

Esper becomes the eighth member of CAES’ board with his appointment.