Mr. Pelaez is a Rear Admiral, United States Navy (retired). Rear Admiral Pelaez is currently a private consultant to defense and commercial companies. He was Vice President of Engineering, and later Vice President of Business and Technology Development, for Newport News Shipbuilding, from 1996 until 2001, when it was acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. From 1993 to 1996, Rear Admiral Pelaez served as Chief of Naval Research. He served as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition) from 1990 to 1993. From 1968 to 1990, he held numerous positions, including command assignments, in the United States Navy. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.