Shortly before the deadly attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak was named special adviser to EDS chairman and CEO Dick Brown. An EDS spokeswoman has declined to discuss the appointment in the aftermath of the attacks. EDS, a Department of Defense contractor, had employees at the Pentagon during Tuesday's attack.

Barak's starting date is unavailable as are the specifics of his advisory role that will deal with international business and policy for the company, started by Ross Perot Sr. and now its chief rival. EDS, known for its high-security campus and closely guarded business dealings, is planning to use "Barak's counsel as we continue to build our presence around the world," Brown said in Tuesday's press release and one that slid to the backburner of most wire services but surfaced yesterday on Associated Press.

The EDS spokeswoman did tell GlobeSt.com that Barak will advise on e-government strategies. No details were available about strategic real estate investments or data center build-ups on foreign soil, a likely trickledown effect from the alliances that EDS has been forming this year. Barak's appointment comes within months of the $950-million buy of Structural Dynamics Research Corp. of Milford, OH. According to Hoover's Online, plans are in the works for EDS to pick up the remaining public shares of Cypress, CA-based Unigraphics Solutions Inc., a software developer, and merge it with Structural Dynamics, which caters to the automotive, electronics, industrial machinery and aerospace industries. EDS currently owns about 85% of Unigraphics. Thus, Barak's appointment could be EDS' 2001 coup when all the puzzle pieces are put together, including those related to subsidiary A.T. Kearney Inc., a Plano-headquartered business consulting firm with offices in 43 countries. How EDS landed Barak also is being kept under wraps.