AE Industrial names two VPs for national security team in DC, USA

AE Industrial Partners has expanded its Washington presence with the appointment of two vice presidents, a move aimed at accelerating the firm’s activity in defence and national security sectors. The new hires, Chris Aguemon and Bill Strobel, will be based out of the firm’s D.C. office and report into the team that sources and scales technologies used by governments and defence contractors.

Chris Aguemon arrives from Arlington Capital Partners, where he worked on acquisitions in the national security and defence markets. A former US Army officer who served in the Reserve and deployed to CENTCOM areas, he holds a bachelor’s in government from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His background combines front-line military experience with transaction execution across defence-focused software and services businesses.

Bill Strobel joins from Liberty Strategic Capital, having led investments across national security and financial services. Strobel is a former United States Navy nuclear submarine officer; he earned a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His technical and operational credentials are intended to deepen AE Industrial’s ability to evaluate complex engineering and systems businesses.

Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at AE Industrial, said the hires reinforce the firm’s strategy of pairing industry expertise with operational knowledge. In his comments, Konert highlighted that the firm values leaders who understand both mission requirements and commercial scale-up challenges. The firm currently manages $7.2 billion in assets (as of June 30, 2025) and has completed more than 140 investments since 2015.

Operationally, bolstering the D.C. desk helps AE Industrial deepen relationships with procurement-facing management teams and defence program offices — a critical advantage when sourcing proprietary deal flow or executing carve-outs. For market participants, the hires signal continued competition among PE firms to recruit technically literate investors able to convert defence sector know-how into commercial growth. Looking ahead, the firm’s strengthened Washington team should enhance its pipeline for platform investments and add capacity to lead follow-on growth strategies for portfolio companies operating at the intersection of aerospace, defence and industrial services.