Anteon brings the brass aboard

A former commander of Army special ops has been hired to lead Anteon's homeland security programs

Anteon International Corp. has hired retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Canavan, a former commander of the Army's Special Operations Command, to lead the company's homeland security programs.

Canavan's title will be group senior vice president. His responsibilities will include homeland security and counter-terrorism training, with emphasis on intelligence data sharing, emergency first-responder communications and urban warfare training.

Canavan previously was Bechtel Corp.'s assistant general manager for counter-terrorism. Prior to holding that post, he was associate administrator for civil aviation security at the Federal Aviation Administration, and served 34 years in the Army before that.

Anteon, based in Fairfax, Va., expects Canavan to boost the company's stature as a homeland security firm, said Joseph Kampf, president and chief executive officer.

"He has over 15 years of counter-terrorism experience, including leadership of the Joint Special Operations Command, the Defense Department's premiere anti-terrorism unit," Kampf said in a statement. Canavan's experience has given him "extraordinary insight and expertise in analyzing terrorism threats and developing solutions to counter them."