Lockheed Martin has named Robert Rangel, senior VP-Washington operations and a corporate officer effective Jan. 1.

He succeeds Greg Dahlberg, 63, who will move to the senior VP-strategic enterprises post before retirement in August.

Rangel, 55, will take over the $45B defense contractor's outreach to Congress, Defense Dept. and other federal, state and local bodies. He'll also chair the political action committee.

Rangel is upped from the VP-post for LM programs and global security policy.

He left the Pentagon to join the Bethesda-based defense contractor in 2011. He was special assistant to the Defense Secretary handling operations, policy, budgets, personnel and PA.

LM scored a PR coup on Dec. 5 with the successful Cape Canaveral launch and flawless flight of Orion spacecraft.

On Dec. 4, the House boosted the contractor by approving a $577B defense policy bill, which includes full funding for LM's F-35 fighter, the costliest weapons system in US history.

In November, the company shored up lobbying support for the F-35 with the addition of Melody Clark Consulting to handle funding for the tactical jet. The projected $200B F-35 program cost has now doubled.

LM spent $14.2M for US lobbying during the past four quarters. Podesta Group is its top PA lobbyist with fees of $560K over the past year.

Park Strategies, the firm of former New York Senator Al D'Amato, earned a $120K fees.

Public Strategies Washington collected $100K, former Oklahoma Republican Congressman JC Watts' firm took in $90K and WPP's Glover Park Group hauled in $40K from LM.