President of Boeing Defense, Space and Security leaves company

Ted Colbert, president and chief operating officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is leaving the troubled company, Boeing announced Friday.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg wrote in a letter to employees that the company’s priority is “to restore our customers’ trust and meet the high standards they expect to enable their critical missions around the world.”

“I want to thank Ted for his 15 years of service to The Boeing Company, supporting our customers, our people and our communities,” he wrote in the letter.

According to Ortberg, Steve Parker will oversee BDS until a permanent replacement is found.

The company is facing enormous financial pressure and additional scrutiny after a series of failures involving the aircraft and their delivery.

On January 5, a door plug on a 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by the company exploded at about 15,000 feet during an Alaska Airlines flight, prompting a federal investigation.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and Chairman Larry Kellner both announced their resignations in light of the investigation.

Last week, tens of thousands of Boeing workers voted to strike after rejecting the proposed contract.