Textron Government Affairs and Washington Operations welcomes Pete Larsen to the Role of Executive Director, Air Force – Government Affairs

Today, Textron Government Affairs and Washington Operations welcomes Peter “Pete” Larsen former National War College faculty member and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. Larsen joins the Washington, D.C. team led by Shannon Hutcherson Hines, senior vice president.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Pete to Textron,” Hines announced. “Pete has immediately become a vital member of the Washington, D.C. team, leveraging his considerable depth of experience as an executive-level expert in Middle East, South Asia, U.S. Air Force, and Defense policy in support of Textron’s broad array of Defense, Commercial and Special Missions capabilities.”

Prior to his role at the National War College educating rising senior government leaders in Middle East studies and policy and strategy development, Larsen served as the Director for South Asia Regional Affairs on the White House National Security Council, playing pivotal roles in the Trump and Biden administrations. Larsen also served as the Chief of the South and Central Asia Division within the Joint Staff’s Deputy Directorate for Middle Eastern Affairs and served as the political-military advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau at the Department of State. As a Middle East Foreign Area Officer, he served as the Air Attaché to Israel and commanded the 818th Air Mobility Advisor Squadron at McGuire Air Force Base. His squadron’s mission focused on building the partner capacity of African nations.

Possessing highly specialized expertise in Air Force Contingency Response and Air Operation Center Operations, Larsen brings with him a nuanced understanding of dynamic military environments. As an aviator, he surpassed 1,700 flight hours in the C-130E/H Hercules while deploying to Southwest Asia (Iraq) and the Balkans.

Larsen earned his commission in the U.S. Air Force through the University of North Carolina- Charlotte Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and is a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School and the National War College. He holds an MBA from Webster University and has graduated three times from the Defense Language Institute – specializing in Arabic, Hebrew, and German. A Project Management Professional (PMP) certified leader, he is also currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the Schar School for Policy and Government, where he focuses on research in emerging technologies.