Walt Havenstein, the head of BAE Systems’ business in the United States, may find his 12 years in the Marine Corps useful training in the months ahead.

Defence companies rarely snipe at each other publicly but the behind-the-scenes fighting can be savage.

Given the remarkable inroads that BAE has made into the US market in recent years, its American rivals are looking for any opportunity to make life difficult.

The allegations of bribery and corruption in BAE’s historic dealings with Saudi Arabia and the Serious Fraud Office’s investigations into a further six contracts is the sort of ammunition its rival’s lobbyists dream of.

It will be up to Mr Havenstein and his team to outmanoeuvre these attacks and ensure that BAE’s proposed $4.5 billion (£2.27 billion) acquisition of Armor Holdings and its $11 billion a year in Pentagon sales are protected. This will be something of a baptism of fire for Mr Havenstein, who only took over the top job at BAE Inc in January. He replaces Mark Ronald, who retired and stepped up to become chairman of the US division.

Mr Havenstein has worked for BAE since 2000 and was previously an executive at Raytheon, which BAE recently overtook to become the fourth largest defence company in the world.

He is typical of the senior ranks of US defence companies in having moved into business following a career in the Armed Services – a career structure that is less common in the UK and European defence sector.

Before taking over as president and chief executive of BAE Inc, Mr Havenstein ran the Information and Electronic Warfare Systems unit. This ultra secret division is responsible for putting much of the high-tech electronics in US fighter jets such as the F22 Raptor and F35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The work is so secret that not even Mr Havenstein’s boss, BAE chief executive Mike Turner, is allowed to know what goes on there. This split between US and UK divisions is required by the Pentagon to maintain national security.

However, given the furore surrounding allegations of payments to middlemen and Saudi royals in recent weeks, Mr Havenstein would be forgiven for wondering what his counterparts in the UK are keeping from him.