Fairbanks Morse Defense Advances Maritime Technology by Launching Technology Center of Excellence

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Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), is redefining the technological limits of national security with the establishment of its Technology Center of Excellence, an initiative designed to consolidate the company’s extensive technology resources under a single platform to maximize its capabilities.

“Most of the companies acquired by FMD in recent years have technology development in their roadmap, but they’re spread out among the individual businesses,” said FMD CEO George Whittier. “By consolidating these initiatives within a specific center of excellence, we can fully leverage our wealth of expertise to benefit our customers in a way that will improve reliability, enhance performance and reduce their lifecycle costs.”

FMD’s technology portfolio focuses on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Defenses, SMART Engineering Solutions, Uncrewed Mission Management and FM OnBoard. While the company’s short-term focus is on technology solutions that support autonomy, electrification, and augmented reality, it plans to round out its technology portfolio, through organic growth and future acquisitions, with AI and uncrewed systems solutions.

The new division will be led by Keith Haasl, vice president and general manager of Fairbanks Morse Technology. Haasl, a U.S. Army veteran, joined Fairbanks Morse Defense in 1994 and has established a reputation as a solutions-focused advisor to the defense contractor’s top naval customers, as well as domestic and international commercial customers.

“We’re in constant conversations with our customers, and all the trends point to a future in which their missions are completed autonomously and with reduced human interaction,” Haasl said. “Our Technology Center of Excellence positions us to provide our customers with advanced AI, augmented reality, autonomy, electrification and unmanned solutions to ensure mission readiness well into the future.”