Air Force Veteran Named to High-Ranking Hughes...

Air Force Veteran Named to High-Ranking Hughes Post

Hughes Aircraft has named James A. Abrahamson, the recently retired director of the Strategic Defense Initiative, to the newly created job of executive vice president-corporate development.

Abrahamson, who retired as an Air Force lieutenant general last March after a 33-year military career, is the highest ranking Hughes executive who did not move up through the Hughes organization or that of Hughes’ parent, General Motors.

Hughes Chairman Malcolm Currie said Abrahamson’s experience in strategic planning and management “will strengthen our efforts to expand into new areas and build our company for the future.”

Abrahamson will be the third-highest ranking Hughes executive, after Currie and Hughes President Donald White. D. Kenneth Richardson, also an executive vice president, is responsible for operations at Hughes’ six major corporate groups.

In a telephone interview, Abrahamson said his considerable background in U.S. space activities, which includes formerly heading up the Space Shuttle program, will be an important foundation in his new strategic planning job at Hughes.

“Part of my challenge will be to examine this application of advanced technology in the civil field,” he said. Hughes derives about 80% of its revenues from government contracts, while the other 20% is generated from sales of commercial communications satellites.

“I personally believe the key to the future is to reduce the cost of individual spacecraft and space operations,” he said.

Abrahamson was credited by many political pundits with personally saving the so-called Star Wars program from deeper congressional cutbacks in recent years. Since his departure, the program has lost support from the White House and is under sharp attack in Congress.

As a retired senior military officer, Abrahamson will be barred by federal law from participating closely in programs that he was involved with during his government service. “What I can’t do is go back and sell to the government,” he said. “I am not going to do that, and in my job I have no requirement to do that.”