STEPHEN T. RIPPE Major General (Ret.), U.S. Army Major General (Ret.) Stephen T. Rippe joined L-3 Communications, Inc. in October 2008 as Vice President, Middle East Operations. He is responsible for enhancing and managing business development in GCC countries, plus Egypt and Jordan, for L-3 – the sixth largest defense company in the U.S. and a leader and prime defense contractor in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), secure communications, government services, training and simulation, and aircraft modernization and maintenance, among other offerings. General Rippe has built and leads the Middle East corporate office based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and serves as the corporate face of L-3 Communications in the region, representing L-3’s subordinate companies. He also serves as a member of the L-3 Communications corporate management team. Previously, General Rippe joined the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation in October 2001, after 29 years of military service. As the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, he had the responsibility and authority, under the leadership and direction of the Bishop of Washington, to oversee and direct the management of the affairs of the Foundation and to lead and direct the Foundation staff. [The Foundation is the governing board and operating entity for the Washington National Cathedral, St. Albans School for Boys, National Cathedral School for Girls, and Beauvoir Elementary School.] During his last three years on active duty, General Rippe served at the Pentagon as the Vice Director/Director of Management for the Joint Staff. General Rippe’s overseas leadership and management experience includes two tours in the Republic of Korea, two tours in Germany, and a tour in the State of Kuwait, where he was the senior U.S. military officer. General Rippe served as an airborne ranger infantry officer and Army aviator in leadership capacities with the 197th Infantry Brigade, the 101st Airborne Division, the 2d Infantry Division (twice), the 82d Airborne Division (twice), the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the 3d Infantry Division. General Rippe is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service medal, the highest non-combat military award. In addition, his diverse functional expertise is recognized by membership in both the Honorable Orders of St. Barbara (Artillery) and St. George (Armor). General Rippe was commissioned in Infantry from Norwich University where he received a B.S. in Business Administration as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He received a Master of Military Arts and Science from the Advanced Military Studies Program and completed the resident National War College program. In addition to his professional experience, General Rippe served on The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons, which was established in 2004 by the Vera Institute of Justice. He was one of 21 Commissioners including the Hon. John J. Gibbons, Nicholas de B. Katzenbach (former U.S. Attorney General), and the Hon. William Sessions (former Director of the FBI), among other legal scholars and senior corrections administrators. He served on the drafting committee for the final report, “Confronting Confinement,” published in June 2006. He is a member of the Governing Board of Norwich University, chaired by Gordon Sullivan, former Chief of Staff of the Army, as well as a member of the Governing Board of the American Chamber of Commerce, Abu Dhabi. He is married to Kate Rice, and they reside in Abu Dhabi. August 2010
