Veteran Spotlight: Meet U.S. Air Force Veteran Joe

Portrait of a veteran with u.s. flag in background

Joe is a Communications Security Manager (COMSEC) and COMSEC enterprise compliance framework lead for Northrop Grumman. He started with the company as a secure communications network and maintenance technician, which ultimately evolved into his current role. How long have you been with Northrop Grumman? How did you hear about us? I have been with the company [...]Read More...

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Eyes on the Sky

military pilot standing in front of helicopter

From the moment Chris McGrath heard the rumble of an aircraft, he knew he wanted to fly. Growing up in a military family, his gaze was skyward from a young age. His grandfather served in the Korean War, and Chris and his family moved from post to post throughout his dad’s 23-year Marine Corps career.

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From Perseverance to Providing Scholarships

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By Taylor Alexander, as told to Emily Gabaldon It wasn’t an easy feat studying aerospace engineering while recovering from jaw surgery. I was born with a birth defect that resulted in a severe craniofacial deformity and I have overcome several surgeries and iterations of braces throughout my life. Just two weeks prior to starting my [...]Read More...

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Veterans and Career Transition during the COVID Crisis and Beyond

Patch of American Flag

When the global pandemic hit, Northrop Grumman pressed on with necessary hiring, including the recruitment of transitioning service members through its Military Internship Program. To do so, the company maximized the potential of the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, a joint-service initiative that allows service members to participate in job training, including apprenticeships and internships, [...]Read More...

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Pushing the Possible

man crossing ironman finish line

Pushing further has always been a consistent part of Ken Love’s life. As a kid, Ken didn’t just play video games. When his parents got him a console, he was enamored with the hardware and the software inside. The console triggered his fascination with computers and electronics and set him on his path. “That is [...]Read More...

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Veteran Spotlight: Meet U.S. Air Force Veteran George

portrait of a veteran with u.s. flag in background

George is a senior principal engineer at Northrop Grumman. Previously a U.S. Air Force fire protection specialist, George is now responsible for regulatory air quality compliance with the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District, California Air Resource Board, as well as the environmental protection rules and regulations in Palmdale. How long have you been with [...]Read More...

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Veteran Spotlight: Meet U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Katie

B-2 Bomber takes off at sunset

Katie is an Integrated Product Team Manager on Special Programs at Northrop Grumman. Since joining the company in 2014, she has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Quality organization and program management. Her previous Northrop Grumman assignments include B-2 Production IPT & Replacement Test Aircraft Program Manager, B-2 Deputy Program Quality Manager, Depot & [...]Read More...

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Veteran Spotlight: Meet Marine Corps Veteran Rafael

Man in military uniform with ship in background

Rafael is a staff project manager with Northrop Grumman. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in November 1998 as an aviation operations specialist and retired in November 2019 as a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defense officer.  He deployed several times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and multiple Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments. [...]Read More...

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At the Helm of Aqua

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Carl was having a conversation with his 9-year-old grandson, Jeremiah, when he began sharing his love of science and how he turned it into a lifelong career. “As Jeremiah began asking more about climate change, I had one piece of advice: Let science be your guide,” Carl said. At Northrop Grumman, [...]Read More...

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A Dream Interrupted, a Community Found

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By Leigh McLeod Northrop Grumman Mission Assurance Manager Otis was unsure of his future when the college he was attending dropped aerospace engineering from its curriculum. His dream of becoming an aerospace engineer and astronaut seemed out of reach. Then one night, while attending a basketball game at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, [...]Read More...

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The Domino Effect

Expert Domino Master Topples the Line Between Art and Engineering By Nora Strumpf Four flying drones whizz by overhead, each transporting a box of pizza. A giant evil robot’s bright red eyes begin to flash. On the floor, the word “doom” emerges as 30 robotic vacuums converge. Bill Nye (“the Science Guy”) is cheering from [...]Read More...

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Under the Weather

By Stephanie Flyger Talk to Jim about his job as an atmospheric scientist for more than five minutes, and you’ll likely hear his favorite soapbox speech about the weather. “Anytime someone tells you they have something all-weather they’re lying to you — there’s no such thing,” said Jim, jokingly. “Today, you left your house and [...]Read More...

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Powering the Artemis Generation

Building on the legacy of the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, Northrop Grumman is pushing the limits of possible with the Artemis program, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon. The Artemis missions, fueled by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, will establish the first long-term presence on and around the moon before taking the next giant leap: Mars.

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One Team’s Journey: DoD Skillbridge

Each year, over 200,000 service members’ shift from active military service to civilian life. The Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge program gives military members a jump-start in that transition.  In January, Northrop Grumman solidified a partnership with the DoD to offer transitioning service members internship opportunities via SkillBridge. This program enables those separating or retiring [...]Read More...

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Tree Planting in Popular Park Aids Hurricane Recovery in Lake Charles

Driving through the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jacob Garland still passes too many houses with what has become a local symbol of need — a blue tarp on the roof. Eighteen months ago, Hurricane Laura — a Category 4 storm tied as the strongest to ever make landfall in Louisiana — devastated the area. In a cruel twist of fate, Hurricane Delta struck the same area six weeks later.

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Rising From the Ashes

Black and white image of three firefighters gathered outside

At 6:41 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2020, life quickly changed for residents of Northern California. What was first a typical thunderstorm soon produced close to 11,000 bolts of lightning that sparked hundreds of fires throughout the state. Microbursts of 50–75 mph winds cast hot embers miles downwind, rapidly advancing the fires and making the area [...]Read More...

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Champions Among Us

male with mask on covered in snow

We’ve all heard about them: elite athletes pushing the boundaries of their sports, achieving things most of us have only ever seen on TV. Like all of us, those athletes have a story and, while no two stories are the same, they tend to have some similar [...]Read More...

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Turning the Page

By Jillian Wright For three decades, Northrop Grumman’s Aircraft Maintenance and Fabrication Center (AMFC) team kept a key U.S. Air Force fleet flying. The Lake Charles, Louisiana, site — which performs aircraft maintenance and modifications — historically served as the traditional home of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft program. [...]Read More...

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Virtual Hiring Success in the Face of COVID-19

A major recruitment-related obstacle being faced by companies post COVID-19 is the inability to conduct face-to-face interviews. With this unprecedented challenge in mind, Northrop Grumman’s Talent Acquisition team established new virtual hiring practices. During this challenging time, the team worked together to quickly solve complex issues while creating added options for video interviewing. Teams throughout [...]Read More...

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Survival, Strength and Service

Veteran employee looking up on dark background.

While I will always be recovering, my story is not over. In 2022, I started a new chapter with Northrop Grumman in Roy, Utah. At this site, and across the entire company, I found an incredible community of veterans still serving the mission every day. As a systems engineer on the Sentinel program, I know that I’m doing what I set out to do from the start: protect the world for generations to come.

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A Change of Scenery

For many Northrop Grumman employees, one of the most exciting things about a career at the company is that you never know where it will take you — but you do know that your team will be there every step of the way.

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My Word: A Day to Remember

An older man wearing a blue Vietnam veteran hat and jacket poses with a red-headed woman in a red Honor Flight Network shirt in front of a green and black memorial statue of three Vietnam soldiers.

Leaving for a vacation in 2017, I saw an Honor Flight arrive at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). For those visiting a Washington, D.C.-area airport, this is a common sight: groups of volunteers welcoming World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans to the terminal before embarking on visits to memorials in the nation’s capital. Honor Flight Network, which hosts these visits, has a mission of gratitude, and recognizes the service, sacrifice and selflessness of veterans by honoring them with a free-of-charge trip to Washington.

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From Blackboard to Blueprint

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From substitute teaching to aerospace manufacturing, Traci Elliot’s career growth shows the power of the supportive, inclusive workplace she found at Northrop Grumman. “Be impactful, learn from smart people, and offer help — whatever form it takes,” she said. “That mentality has brought me here.”

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Students of Sustainability

group of students standing in front of lake

Once students get a handle on essential engineering skills, they look for hands-on opportunities to hone them before entering the working world. One group of Northrop Grumman engineers has been challenging students to apply a wide range of skills under a particular set of projects, collectively known as Tech for Conservation (T4C).

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Walking the Kokoda Trail

Man in black t-shirt using hiking sticks to climb a steep trail in a tropical jungle.

Nine days, 59.6 miles, an unforgettable experience. Alongside members of the Royal Australian Air Force's Squadron 35, Australia-based Field Service Representative Ben Luke hiked the historic Kokoda Trail, walking in the footsteps of the World War II heroes who contributed to an Allied Victory in this humid stretch of the Papua New Guinea highlands.

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Zooming In

Female engineer in white labcoat sits at desk and works in lab.

Inside Northrop Grumman’s metallography lab in Redondo Beach, California, Engineer Kate Nabours and her colleagues uncover mission-critical details that are imperceptible to most people. Harnessing ultra-powerful microscopes, the close-knit team of technicians and engineers hunts for potential flaws in the microstructures — grain-like patterns visible only when magnified — of metals, alloys and other materials used in engine components, spacecraft and other products.

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Finding Rainbows in the Fire

 Thomas wears an orange safety uniform and a colorfully graffitied face shield while welding at an industrial workstation

Welder Thomas Gibson honed his skills in the U.S. Navy, repairing ship hulls while stationed in Japan. Today, as a welder at Northrop Grumman’s site in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thomas has a hard job, literally: he welds iridium, the second-densest material on Earth, in support of the company’s laser crystal production.

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Innovation on All Fronts

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Ken Friend served his country as a station commander in the U.S. Army for 24 years and said he was humbled by the talent that surrounded him every day. When he retired from the service, his passion to help empower veterans like himself grew — and, as a Northrop Grumman talent acquisition manager, he’s been finding inventive ways to connect veterans with the perfect fit for their passion.

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