Major defense contractor moves headquarters to DC region

One of the nation's largest Defense contractors is moving its corporate offices from Los Angeles to the Washington area.

Northrop Grumman Corp. announced on Monday that it will move its operations to Maryland, Washington or Virginia by summer 2011. The company plans to complete its search for the specific headquarters location by spring 2010.

"As a global security company with a large customer base in the Washington, D.C., region, this move will enable us to better serve our nation and customers," said Wes Bush, Northrop's chief executive officer and president.

The new corporate office will house about 300 employees -- just a fraction of Northrop's 120,000 global workforce. Many of the 300 employees will move from the California headquarters, according to the company. Northrop already has about 40,000 employees in the Washington region.

The area is home to many of the goliaths of the defense contracting industry, including Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co. and General Dynamics Corp. Last year, SAIC Inc., a San Diego-based contractor, announced it was moving its operations to McLean, Va.

About 30,000 Northrop employees will continue to work in California. The firm's Aerospace Systems sector is headquartered in Redondo Beach, Calif., and the company's other four sectors have major facilities in the state.