Mike Smith

About Mike Smith

Mike Smith is a purpose-driven, tested senior executive and U.S. Navy veteran with over 20 years of experience in the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry. His strategic insights and ability to help organizations see around corners have made him a highly sought-after board representative with over a dozen joint venture and LLC directorships across multiple sectors. Which is more, Mike’s vast international experience, rare combination of business acumen, and ability to connect deeply with stakeholders have allowed him to build a track record of dramatically improving profitability and maximizing the potential of executive teams. Mike is known for inspiring organizations to take bold and decisive action resulting in over $14B of new, organic value across his career. Recognizing the need for the US and its allies to promote shared access to defense technology, Mike co-founded Incrementium Advisors, a consultancy that assists mid-tier A&D companies in their endeavors to expand into new markets, achieve production scale, and unlock margin expansion. He acquired this array of expertise through the repeated successful execution across multiple domains and organizational levels in companies operating worldwide.Throughout his career and because of his dynamic communication style, Mike has been repeatedly called upon to lead strategic planning processes and present transformational growth opportunities at the board level. Across his career, Mike has advised boards on over $150B in potential acquisitions, the formation of 12 strategic joint ventures, and global expansion. As part of the onboarding process, Mike employed his fluency in board communications to build individual director relationships and help drive consensus thinking across the collective.Smith started his post military career at Marsh & McLennan where he soon became the leading nuclear risk consultant in the US. His philosophy of aligning enterprise risk mitigation with strategy execution have been successfully employed at some of the largest global defense companies in the industry. With Enterprise Risk Management taking center stage in executive leadership discussions, Mike’s unique brand of risk-informed strategy development have led to a multitude of opportunities to provide thought leadership on critical corporate councils and joint venture boards. In 2017, Mike was recognized as one of the Top 300 Black Executives in Corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, pursuing Directorship certification.

Experience

1. President & COO

   Hanwha Defense USA, Inc.

   Nov 2025 — Present · Arlington, VA, US

   Speaking as Hanwha’s chief customer advocate in the US defense market, we are squarely focused on contributing in two primary ways:(1) delivering advanced mission technologies to the US warfighter and (2) bringing world leading industrial capability to our US partners. We will do this in multiple domains and execute in a way that maximizes our contribution to National Security while expanding the domestic industrial base. Specifically, I aim to contribute to growth by leveraging experience in combat vehicles (in particular mobile cannons), munitions (PGMs, energetics and explosives), and shipbuilding (design, erection, and sustainment). Responsiveness, simplicity, and collaboration will be our hallmark. We are ready so let’s get to work.

Education

• Nuclear Power School - Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC)

  Professional Qualification, Nuclear Engineering

  1998 — 2000

• Stanford University

  MS, Engineering Management

  1995 — 1996

• Stanford University

  Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering

  1991 — 1995

Skills

• Program Management
• Military
• Mergers
• Dod
• Aerospace
• Strategy
• Earned Value Management
• Management
• Government Contracting
• Defense
• Integration
• Navy
• Strategic Planning
• Leadership
• Business Development
• C4isr
• Project Planning
• Procurement
• Executive Management
• Analysis
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Avionics
• Aircraft
• Change Management
• Operations Management
• Six Sigma
• Business Process Improvement
• U.s. Department of Defense