CEO and President to Assume Duties as Chairman October 1

Northrop Grumman Corporation has announced that its board of directors has elected Ronald D. Sugar, the company's chief executive officer and president, as Northrop Grumman's next chairman of the board.

Sugar, 55, will become chairman, chief executive officer and president. As previously announced, Kent Kresa, who has served as chairman since 1990, will retire on that date.  Kresa stepped down in April 2003 as president and chief executive officer.

"I am honored to lead one of the nation's most dynamic and effective boards," said Sugar. "The Northrop Grumman board has taken bold steps in recent years, assembling the essential capabilities and technologies to position the company to contribute to our nation's highest priority 21st Century defense and homeland security programs."

Sugar was elected president and chief operating officer of Northrop Grumman in September 2001 and its chief executive officer in April 2003. He has served as a member of the Northrop Grumman board of directors since 2001.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2001, Sugar served as president, chief operating officer and a member of the board of directors of Litton Industries, a company acquired by Northrop Grumman in April 2001. Previously, Sugar had been president and chief operating officer of TRW Aerospace and Information Systems and a member of the chief executive office of TRW Inc. In his nearly 20 years with TRW, Sugar also served as that company's chief financial officer and as executive vice president and general manager of TRW's global automotive electronics business. Earlier, he was vice president of TRW Space Communications Division and played key roles in TRW's advanced military, scientific, and commercial space and electronics programs.

Sugar previously held technical and management positions with Hughes Aircraft Co., Argosystems Inc. and The Aerospace Corporation. In 1968, Sugar graduated summa cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he also received master's (1969) and doctoral degrees (1971) in the same field. In 1996, he was honored by his alma mater as alumnus of the year. He has completed executive education programs at Stanford University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com