Korea-headquartered Hanwha established this subsidiary in 2017 to pursue opportunities in shipbuilding. Hanwha Defense USA, a subsidiary of the multi-industry conglomerate headquartered in South Korea, has appointed a new chief executive in aerospace industry veteran Michael Coulter.
Coulter moves into that position from his prior dual roles as CEO of the Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Global Defense subsidiaries. The company said Monday that Coulter will lead efforts to expand Hanwha Defense USA’s partnership network and overall presence across the U.S.’ shipbuilding and defense sectors.
Coulter joined the Hanwha enterprise in December 2024 after 11 years at Leonardo DRS, where his most recent position was senior vice president of business development. His government service career includes stints in policy-related leadership roles at the Defense and State Departments, plus as a Senate staffer.
Mike Smith, formerly CEO of HDUSA for one year, has been appointed chief operating officer and president of the land systems business.
Hanwha established the HDUSA subsidiary in 2017 to focus on shipbuilding. In early October, HDUSA hired Tom Anderson as president of the shipbuilding business following his retirement from the Navy after 34 years.
Anderson is a former program executive officer for ships and retired with the rank of rear admiral.
Entities that are part of Hanwha have recorded approximately $52.8 million in unclassified prime revenue over the trailing 12 months with all of that spend from the Navy, according to USASpending.gov data.
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