LEGION Systems
Toward the Next-Gen Defense

The world’s most powerful maritime force, the U.S. Navy, is about to embark on its ambitious expansion plan of building the next generation frigate—more lethal than the current warships. Besides expanding beyond the 355 Naval fleets size, the Navy is aiming to introduce unmanned underwater and unmanned surface vessels. However, what impedes this ambitious defense project are budget and resource constraints compounded by on-going maintenance, training, and technology challenges. As the Navy underlines the estimated cost of its new frigate requirements, there is a race among defense contractors and ship builders to be on the forefront of offering innovative conceptual designs and win the race to build the Navy’s next generation fleet. Enter LEGION Systems, a specialized consulting and defense contracting firm offering an extensive suite of niche technical and management consulting services, special operations training, and intelligence services to the U.S. Government and defense contractors. The company has carved a niche in developing business and technology investment strategies, and technical solutions for defense contractors and their customers in the global defense industry.

LEGION Systems is led by dynamic leaders, Bill Harris, a long-term career defense contractor, and Dan Vanderheyden, a Navy veteran and long-term defense contractor. Both having significant operational and technical experience developing and implementing leading edge solutions to address some of the most difficult challenges faced by the defense community. “Our 50 years of combined industry experience has enhanced our ability to understand the pain points of defense contractors and accordingly provide them effective solutions with a workable approach,” highlights Harris.

Challenging the conventional approaches, LEGION Systems follows a unique client engagement strategy taking a ‘big picture perspective’ on the mission the Navy is looking to achieve, before recommending the ‘best fit’ solution.

LEGION Systems then works with its customers to craft the next generation solutions to satisfy their customers’ requirements. “We aim to strike a balance between the various aspects of the mission-needs, technical requirements, and the budget before delivering the solution,” mentions Vanderheyden.

LEGION Systems’ portfolio of services spans three unique business areas. The first is its Advisory Services Group designated to offer consultative services focused on the business acquisition lifecycles assisting defense contractors win business and programs from the Government. While their Government Solutions Group performs prime and subcontracts training for special operations personnel and provides intelligence personnel for the defense community. Finally, the company's Aerospace and Defense Group addresses the stringent needs in technology and security in the defense market—specifically the US Navy as they strive to modernize and re-capitalize their fleet.

With a competent team of experienced professionals, LEGION Systems has scripted success for a multitude of defense contractors including the likes of Lockheed Martin, L-3 Technologies, and Huntington Ingalls Industries. For instance, a defense contractor recently hired LEGION Systems to conduct an assessment of their portfolio of technologies and understand how this technology could be married to the upcoming initiatives of the Navy in shipbuilding and technology insertions. Soon, LEGION Systems devised an overall long-term business plan with strategic injection points targeted on the investment of time, technology, and resources to allow for the significant long-term growth of the organization. Such a strategy helped the client become a principal contractor for the Navy’s future projects.

Marching ahead, LEGION Systems draws an expansion blueprint to grow exponentially with new prime contracts while expanding its aerospace and defense reach as a consultant for the development of the Navy’s next generation frigate and expansion of its unmanned underwater and surface fleet.