Force10 Networks Appoints Former Nortel CEO William Owens to Board of Directors

Business Wire, April 12, 2006

MILPITAS, Calif. -- Force10 Networks, the pioneer in building and securing 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks, today announced that former Nortel CEO William Owens has joined the company's board of directors. Mr. Owens brings an extensive record of accomplishment to Force10, including several executive leadership positions in the technology industry as well as the U.S. Department of Defense, where he served as vice chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second highest ranking military officer in the country.

Mr. Owens joined Nortel's (NYSE:NT) board of directors in 2002 and was named CEO in 2004, where he was credited with quickly reestablishing Nortel as a stable market leader in the telecommunications and enterprise networking industry. During his tenure, Nortel regained an emphasis on technological accomplishment, including delivering expanded VoIP interoperability, next generation broadband wireless services and advancements in multiservice switching.

"Bill has established a remarkable track record of leading large and complex organizations with the steady hand and clear focus of a seasoned chief executive," said Marc Randall, chairman and CEO of Force10 Networks. "His industry insight and counsel on both government organizations and large private enterprises will be highly valued by the board and company management."

Prior to Nortel, Mr. Owens was chairman and CEO of Teledesic LLC. Earlier, he served as chief operating officer and vice chairman of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the largest employee-owned high technology company in the U.S.

Before joining SAIC, Mr. Owens was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he was responsible for the reorganization and restructuring of the armed forces in the post-Cold War era. Widely recognized for bringing commercial high technology into the Department of Defense for military applications, Mr. Owens was the architect of the Revolution in Military Affairs program, an advanced systems technology approach to military operations that is viewed as the most significant change in the system of requirements, budgets and technology for the four armed forces since World War II.

"Force10 built its initial reputation with high performance government research networks and then brought that experience and innovative spirit to large enterprise, education and service provider networks," said Mr. Owens. "In a short period of time, Force10 has built a global and diverse customer base, and I look forward to helping to identify and develop new, expanded opportunities for its innovative product portfolio."

From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Owens was the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments. During Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, he served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, and between 1988 and 1991, he was the senior military assistant to Secretaries of Defense Frank Carlucci and Dick Cheney.

Mr. Owens is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served on the board of 19 companies, including Daimler Chrysler AG, Polycom and AEA Investors LLC. He has also served on philanthropic boards, including the Carnegie Foundation, the Brookings Institution and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition, Mr. Owens is the founder of Lumera, a leader in the emerging field of nanotechnology, and Extend America, a provider of wireless high speed Internet access.

The author of more than 50 articles on national security, Mr. Owens holds a B.S. in mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy as well as a B.A. and M.A. degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University. He also holds an M.B.A. in management from George Washington University. In 2004, he was recognized as one of the 50 most powerful people in the networking industry by Network World.

Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY), a leader in identifying senior executive talent, assisted in the placement of Mr. Owens.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in building and securing 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. Based on a revolutionary system architecture that delivers best-in-class resiliency and massive scalability, Force10's TeraScale E-Series switch/routers ensure predictable application performance, increase network availability, and reduce operating costs. Today, many of the world's largest Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks depend on Force10 Networks. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.force10networks.com.

Force10, E-Series, TeraScale and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.