Mr. Dickinson will continue to provide consulting services to United Defense after his retirement effective December 31, 2003.

Mr. Dickinson has been with Southwest Marine since 1999. He played an instrumental role in the expansion and growth of ship repair operations in San Diego and the establishment of United States Marine Repair (USMR) as the leading non-nuclear ship repair company in the United States. He led efforts which increased USMR revenue and profit by 50 percent and implemented numerous Process Improvements/Lean Six Sigma projects resulting in annual savings of $8 million.

"Monty has been instrumental to the growth of USMR these past four years," said USMR President, Al Krekich. "His several congratulatory messages from the Navy are for numerous customer oriented process improvements that will continue to set an industry standard."

"As a valued member of a strong USMR team, Monty established an employee culture focused on safety and exceptional customer service that will endure," said Tom Rabaut, CEO of United Defense. "We wish him the very best in his retirement and future endeavors."

The announcement of his replacement is anticipated shortly.