BigBear.ai’s Kevin McAleenan Wins Third
Wash100 Award for Strengthening National Security
Executive Mosaic is delighted to honor Kevin McAleenan, BigBear.ai CEO, as a three-time Wash100 Award winner for his leadership in strengthening U.S. national security and expanding the company’s capabilities.
McAleenan is a dedicated public servant with extensive federal experience and private sector success. His public service has been recognized with the Presidential Rank Award and the Service to America Medal for developing a comprehensive antiterrorism strategy for border security following the 9/11 attacks.
He was the first career civil servant to be appointed and confirmed as commissioner of Customs and Border Protection in 2018, and served as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Here he led over 240,000 employees and oversaw operations including CBP, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Secret Service.
Since January of 2025, McAleenan has served as CEO of BigBear.ai, the specialized defense technology company. Under his leadership, and as of March, the New York Stock Exchange-listed business has achieved the strongest financial position in the company’s history, with around $1.8 billion in market capitalization.
The 2026 Wash100 Award popular vote competition is now open! Vote for Kevin McAleenan and other top GovCon leaders today at Wash100.com.
Why Is Kevin McAleenan Winning a 2026 Wash100 Award?
Influential Industry Collaborations
McAleenan’s selection for the 2026 Wash100 Award reflects a pivotal year for BigBear.ai, marked by strengthened financial foundations, strategic acquisitions, and expanded global reach. Since assuming the CEO role, McAleenan has focused the company on delivering mission-ready AI solutions designed to deliver enduring strategic advantage for the U.S., its allies and partners, and critical industries, with significant focus on the DoW, DHS and the intelligence community.
Focused Strategy
McAleenan aligned the company’s strategy to two core markets: national security and travel & trade, while advancing key customer programs that reinforce BigBear.ai’s role as a trusted provider of AI-powered decision intelligence.
The company delivers mission-critical capabilities to U.S. government customers, including support force management and decision-making at the edge, while expanding applications across border security, ports of entry and global trade environments.
Expansion Through Strategic Acquisitions
In 2025, BigBear.ai acquired Ask Sage, the first model-agnostic generative AI platform authorized for FedRAMP High, IL5, IL6 and highly classified environments, tailored for defense, intelligence and regulated environments. Ask Sage operates seamlessly across cloud, on-premise or at the edge. This was followed by the acquisition of CargoSeer in early 2026, strengthening the company’s position in AI-enabled cargo inspection and trade risk management.
BigBear.ai also expanded its international footprint to the Middle East, establishing a presence in the United Arab Emirates and creating partnerships with The International Holding Company, EDGE, and AD Ports Group. This promises to open new market opportunities for AI-driven security and logistics solutions.
“We’re thrilled to award Kevin a Wash100 Award for 2026,” said Jim Garrettson, Executive Mosaic CEO and founder of the Wash100 Award. “Kevin expanded BigBear.ai’s capabilities and advanced mission-critical programs for national security customers while driving a disciplined strategy to deliver operational impact and long-term value.
“The acquisition of Ask Sage and expansion into global markets demonstrate vision and determination to help U.S. government customers win in a dynamic AI landscape. Congratulations to Kevin on his Wash100 Award, we expect him to build on his strong 2025 with an even more successful 2026,” Garrettson continued.
Who Is Kevin McAleenan?
Kevin McAleenan is the CEO of BigBear.ai and serves on the company’s board of directors. Before his promotion to CEO, McAleenan served as president of BigBear.ai, where he led teams offering cutting-edge computer vision, simulation and modeling, and digital identity tools to support customers’ critical security and operational decisions.
He co-founded and led Pangiam as CEO and chair of the board until its acquisition by BigBear.ai. At Pangiam, McAleenan developed cutting-edge biometric and AI products for security applications, for both government agencies and commercial customers.
McAleenan brings experience from almost two decades of leadership in the U.S. government to his role. His past experiences include implementing innovations to the U.S. international arrival and departure process and developing comprehensive counterterrorism and risk management strategies.
McAleenan also oversaw the implementation of the federal government’s single window for international trade, a project that spanned over four-dozen agencies. He currently chairs the Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel for the U.S. Travel Association and serves as a councilmember for the Council on Global Competition and Innovation. The CGCI aims to leverage market mechanisms to support the growth of assets and technologies of strategic importance to national security and global stability.
What Are Kevin McAleenan’s Recent Career Achievements?
- Mission-critical defense programs: Awarded a 3.5-year, $13 million contract supporting the Joint Staff J-35 Directorate for Force Management, delivering the ORION Decision Support Platform for joint planning and execution
- Homeland and aviation security innovation: Advanced AI-enabled screening capabilities, including computer vision technologies integrated with computed tomography systems, to improve airport security and streamline threat detection workflows
- Global expansion and trade solutions: Expanded international partnerships, including a strategic collaboration in the UAE with Maqta Technologies, to co-develop AI-powered customs and border management solutions
- Advanced sensing and border security: Partnered with C Speed to integrate ConductorOS with its software-defined LightWave Radar, enhancing real-time threat detection across complex borders and high-consequence environments
- Operational deployment in exercises: Supported Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. Fourth Fleet during UNITAS 2025, integrating AI across unmanned and hybrid systems to enable a common operating picture
- Next-generation AI capabilities: Continued development of advanced analytics solutions such as VANE, leveraging AI-driven data analysis to support national security decision-making.
What Does Kevin McAleenan’s Success Mean for GovCon?
The government contracting industry can expect McAleenan to continue driving innovation and adoption of frontier AI, providing flexibility to the operators who most need breakthrough technology; while expanding the availability of catalytic technologies for national security and travel and trade.
Congratulations to Kevin McAleenan on his 2026 Wash100 Award!
Cast your vote for McAleenan in the 2026 Wash100 popular vote competition.