Chairman , CEO and President , Northrop Grumman Defence technology firm Northrop Grumman is one of the biggest names in the defence industry , having been founded in 1995 from the merger of Northrop Aircraft and Grumman Aerospace . CEO Kathy Warden joined the company in 2008 . Previously , she was the company ’ s Chief Operating Officer , and before that worked at fellow aerospace and defence companies General Dynamics and Veridian Corporation . She holds an MBA from George Washington University .