GM Taps Former Army General To Run Reborn Defense Division

General Motors is serious about getting back into the military supply business. And to that end, it’s relaunching its former defense division, and has tapped a high-ranking former US Army officer to run it.

Automotive News reports that GM has named Major General John Charlton to the presidency of GM Defense LLC, a Washington DC-based subsidiary focused on developing and manufacturing vehicles and systems for the Pentagon.

Charlton is a 34-year veteran of the US Army who did three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and most recently held key positions in equipment development and procurement, first as vice-director for force development at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and then as commanding officer of the US Army’s Test and Evaluation Command. That puts him in prime position to lobby the Defense Department and Congress on GM’s behalf for potentially lucrative contracts and to furnish new equipment.

Among the military projects General Motors has been working on is the ZH2 program – a hydrogen-powered military version of the Chevy Colorado pickup revealed two years ago. AN also points out that GM is developing a fuel cell-powered aircraft auxiliary power unit with French contractor Liebherr Aerospace, and a Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure platform. Charlton’s superior, Charlie Freese, is a 15-year GM veteran and specialist in hydrogen fuel cells.

GM sold its previous Defense division to General Dynamics in 2003 for over $1 billion. It’s also recently been cited as a potential buyer of AM General, manufacturer of the Humvee, with which GM once partnered on the Hummer brand and which is now putting itself up for sale.