AeroVironment has appointed Blake Souter as vice president of government relations.
Souter will lead AeroVironment’s engagement with the executive branch and Congress, strengthening partnerships that drive innovation and accelerate the deployment of affordable autonomous systems most important to the Defense Department, the company said.
“Blake’s ability to navigate complex defense budgets and drive rapid capability deployment will be invaluable to our end users,” said Church Hutton, AeroVironment’s senior vice president of government relations, marketing and communications. “As the Pentagon pushes for faster fielding of autonomy-enabled technologies, Blake’s leadership will ensure that cutting-edge uncrewed systems continue to provide warfighters with the decisive edge they need.”
A national security and defense policy expert, Souter played key roles in shaping Pentagon budgets, securing congressional support for defense priorities and expediting delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter.
As deputy comptroller for budget and appropriations affairs at DOD, he led congressional engagement on budget matters and helped oversee the department’s $850 billion budget.
“I’m excited to join AV at a time when delivering the right capabilities at speed has never been more important,” Souter said. “DOD leaders have been clear: the ability to field advanced systems quickly and affordably is essential to maintaining our strategic advantage. AV delivers, and I’m eager to work with the team to deepen our support for the warfighter.”