COLOGNE, Germany — Lockheed Martin has appointed Dennis Goege to the newly created job of vice president for operations in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a company statement.

The move comes in response to what Lockheed foresees to be a “growing presence” in the region. Based at the company’s office in Berlin, Germany, Goege is responsible for business in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and the Baltics.

Goege previously worked for the German Aerospace Center, or DLR, based in Cologne, Germany, where he oversaw defense and security research programs. According to the Lockheed announcement, he also “acted as an advisor” to the Germany Defence Ministry and the Munich Security Conference.

The new job consolidates a smattering of director-level country leads, overseen by Jonathan Hoyle, vice president and chief executive for Europe.

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“I am pleased to welcome Dennis in his new role as vice president to support our organization of Lockheed Martin in Europe,” Hoyle was quoted as saying in the statement. “This new post has been created in response to significant business growth in Central and European markets and to set out a path for building on business opportunities in the region.”

Goege’s portfolio includes a few high-profile programs and prospects in Germany alone. Lockheed is going against Boeing in a bid to deliver a new heavy-transport helicopter to the Bundeswehr — Germany’s military. A move by the German government to request a final offer is expected late this year or early next.

In addition, the TLVS missile defense program has been languishing in uncertainty for months. Lockheed, in concert with local contractor MBDA, and the German government have so far failed to agree on a price and risk structure for an eventual contract. The Defence Ministry has yet to announce whether the contractor will be invited to submit a new offer.

Lockheed also has not given up on selling F-35 fighter jets to the German Air Force should another opening present itself, though the aircraft is formally out of the race with Berlin’s recent pick of Eurofighters and F-18s to replace the aging Tornado fleet by 2030.

Switzerland is in the market for new fighter jets, too, and the F-35 is still in the running.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

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