Force Protection Appoints Executive VP for Total Life Cycle Support

Jim Grazioplene, Retired US Army Major General

Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRPT) today announced that as of May 4, 2009 it named James Grazioplene as its Executive Vice President, Total Lifecycle Support. Mr. Grazioplene will have direct responsibility for oversight and management of the Company’s growing business of providing total life cycle support to its fleet of fielded vehicles including service, spare parts and related logistics, maintenance and support through the Company’s in-theatre award-winning Field Service Representatives. Mr. Grazioplene will also have direct oversight of the Company’s newly developed 120 acre off-road training facility located in Roxboro, North Carolina. Mr. Grazioplene will report directly to Michael Moody, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Grazioplene comes to the Company most recently from KBR, Inc., as its Vice President, Global Programs in the Government and Infrastructure Division. Prior to that, he was employed by SYColeman, a subsidiary of L3 Communications Holdings as Vice President, Surveillance and Security Applications.

Prior to his employment in the private sector, Mr. Grazioplene, a graduate of West Point, served in the United States Army for 32 years, achieving the rank of Major General. At the time of his retirement from the Army he held the position of Director of Force Development in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Pentagon.

Michael Moody, Force Protection’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to welcome MGen Grazioplene, USA (Ret.) to our executive management team. He is a distinguished military and corporate leader with tremendous experience in the full range of total life cycle support services. With MGen. Grazioplene’s addition to the Company, I am confident that our newly constituted executive management team is capable of successfully accelerating the transformation of Force Protection.”

James Grazioplene commented, “I am very pleased to join the team at Force Protection. We believe that our vehicles have proven their effectiveness in the field and will be a key part of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet for many years to come. It is our intent and my mandate to ensure that the Force Protection world-wide tactical wheeled vehicle fleet reports the highest operational readiness rate. Force Protection’s ability to maintain vehicles at the highest operational levels means that these capable vehicles are available for use as and when needed.”

About Force Protection, Inc.

Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions, predominantly ballistic- and blast-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security personnel in conflict zones. Force Protection’s specialty vehicles, the Cougar, the Buffalo and the Cheetah, are designed specifically for reconnaissance and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). Force Protection also is the developer and manufacturer of ForceArmor™, an armor package providing superior protection against explosively formed projectiles (EFPs), now available for a wide range of tactical-wheeled vehicles. Force Protection is one of the original developers and primary providers of vehicles for the U.S. military’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicle program. For more information about Force Protection and its vehicles, visit www.forceprotection.net.

Contacts

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Force Protection, Inc.
Tommy Pruitt, 843-574-3866
Senior Communications Director
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