Lawrence R. Slade
Chief Operating Officer

Lawrence R. Slade is a former naval officer, defense executive, and entrepreneur whose career spans operational aviation, technology, cybersecurity, command and control, training, and company operations. As Chief Operations Officer of Intrepid Defense Partners, he leads capture and operations, bringing an operator's attention to detail and a builder's focus on turning strategy and ideas into executable work.

Before co-founding Intrepid in 2024, Larry spent fifteen years as Chief Operating Officer of Prevailance, Inc., which he co-founded after retiring from the Navy. During that period, he helped grow the company to more than 150 employees and approximately $25 million in annual revenue. He also co-founded Prevailance Aerospace, LLC, established to provide advanced aviation safety training, and Ingenetech, Inc., a manufacturing and custom machining venture.

Larry's civilian career followed 23 years as a United States Navy officer and Naval Flight Officer. During combat operations in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, his aircraft was shot down and he was captured by Iraqi forces. Following his release as a prisoner of war, hospitalization, and recovery, he returned to flying status later that year and continued his operational career.

In 1995, Larry was named both the Navy's Radar Intercept Officer of the Year and Naval Flight Officer of the Year for his work leading the engineering and flight demonstration of a new laser targeting capability for the F-14 Tomcat. After additional combat deployments, he moved into leadership and staff assignments that included service as a Legislative Fellow for Senator John McCain and work in computer network defense, satellite communications, and Fleet operations. He retired from the Navy in 2007 after more than 2,400 flight hours and 470 carrier arrested landings. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Hearts, and two Air Medals.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon to American parents, Larry spent much of his childhood in the Middle East before coming to the United States for college. That early international experience, followed by operational service, technical assignments, entrepreneurship, and years of building a defense-services company, has given him a career unusually balanced between operations, technology, and business execution.

Larry holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Computer Science from James Madison University, and an MBA from the College of William & Mary.