Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. announced that John P. Casciano has joined Ball Aerospace as Director, Systems Engineering for the National Capital Area. Casciano will focus on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Integrated Battlespace programs and agencies in the Washington, DC area.

A retired Air Force Major General, Casciano served in various command and staff positions in the United States and overseas during his 32-year military career. In his last position before retirement, he was the Headquarters Air Force Director of ISR and the Service's senior Intelligence Community official. Previously, he was Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency in San Antonio, Texas, leading a 16,000-person organization.

"John's extensive experience in the Intelligence Community and success in the private sector make him uniquely qualified to support Ball Aerospace's ISR and Integrated Battlespace pursuits," said Dave Taylor, President and CEO of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. "He was a leader in bringing the benefits of national intelligence capabilities to the warfighter, and he complements Ball's distinguished history of performance in this area."

Casciano received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He has also attended executive education programs in business management and national security at Harvard and the Wharton School.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products and innovative packaging solutions to the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which develops sensors, spacecraft, systems and components for government and commercial markets. Ball employs 12,600 people worldwide and reported 2003 sales of $4.9 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release contains "forward-looking" statements and other statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in Exhibit 99.2 in the most recent Form 10-K. These filings are available at the company's website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect the packaging segments of the company include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; competitive packaging material availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost reductions; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; availability and cost of raw materials, such as resin, steel and aluminum, and the ability to pass on to customers changes in these costs; changes in major customer contracts or the loss of a major customer; international business risks, such as foreign exchange rates and tax rates; and the effect of LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that might affect the aerospace segment include: funding, authorization and availability of government contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty associated with segment contracts. Factors that could affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures and associated integration activities; regulatory action or laws including environmental and workplace safety; goodwill impairment; antitrust and other litigation; strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and labor costs; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; reduced cash flow; and interest rates affecting our debt.

SOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.