Rear Admiral (Ret.) Charles “Chip” Rock, U.S. Navy, to Join EX1 Board of Advisors
McLean, VA, July 14, 2026: Executive 1 Holding Company today announced that Rear Admiral (Ret.) Charles “Chip” Rock, U.S. Navy, has joined its Board of Advisors. Rear Adm. Rock will serve as a senior advisor and subject matter expert to CORAS.ai and HumanTouch as both companies expand support for the Maritime Industrial Base, including shipbuilding, ship maintenance, shipyards, installations, logistics, and fleet readiness.
The timing is powerful. The White House’s America’s Maritime Action Plan, developed under Executive Order 14269, calls for bolstering U.S. shipbuilding capacity, strengthening shipyards, improving procurement efficiency, recapitalizing public shipyards, and using AI to reduce administrative burden, analyze supply chains, process requirements, and improve shipbuilding outcomes. The plan also identifies potential Maritime Security Trust Fund revenue ranging from approximately $66 billion to nearly $1.5 trillion over ten years.
“America’s maritime mission is moving from study to execution,” said said Moe Jafari, Chairman of Executive 1. “Chip brings the operational credibility and Navy experience we need as CORAS.ai and HumanTouch help shipyards, installations, and maritime organizations move faster. With GARY.ai, we are not just bringing AI to the Maritime Industrial Base — we are bringing an agentic workforce that can help plan, analyze, prioritize, coordinate, and execute mission work at the speed required.”GARY.ai, CORAS.ai’s agentic AI capability, enables customers to create digital mission teams that support planning, scheduling, maintenance, workforce allocation, supply chain analysis, acquisition workflows, compliance reviews, and readiness decisions. For shipyards and maritime organizations facing workforce constraints, schedule pressure, aging systems, and rising demand, GARY.ai helps convert fragmented data and manual processes into coordinated action.
Rear Adm. Rock brings nearly 35 years of Navy leadership across maritime operations, fleet support, joint planning, and Navy installations. His career included service aboard USS Mahlon S. Tisdale, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Cole, USS Leyte Gulf, and USS Donald Cook, command of High Speed Vessel Swift, and senior roles with U.S. European Command, U.S. Joint Forces Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Installations Command, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Naval District Washington, and Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
“Chip will be a critical part of our advisory and SME team,” Jafari added. “His insight will help ensure CORAS.ai and HumanTouch are solving the right problems for the Navy, shipyards, and the broader Maritime Industrial Base — not with another dashboard, but with agentic modernization that drives measurable outcomes.”
About EX1 Holding Company
EX1 Holding Company is a privately held investment firm focused on AI, decision intelligence, digital modernization, and mission execution. Through CORAS.ai, HumanTouch, and Plasticity.ai, EX1 helps defense, civilian federal, and commercial customers reduce friction, improve decisions, and deliver measurable outcomes.
EX1 delivers Carpe Tempus — seize the time — by combining advanced technology, trusted domain expertise, and operational execution. www.executive1holding.com.
Media Relations: Rebecca Churchill PH703-214-0076 v-rebecca.churchill@coras.ai