The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) has launched the Critical Technology Credit Program to support emerging defense technologies by providing much-needed financing for small and mid-sized companies.

Why It Matters: Bridging the “valley of death” between research and commercialization is a significant challenge for defense tech startups. The OSC’s credit program is designed to address this gap by supporting the growth of businesses working on technologies critical to national security, such as microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials.

Key Points:

• The program aims to finance small and mid-sized businesses developing critical defense technologies.
• Focus areas include technologies crucial for national security, such as microelectronics, AI, and advanced materials.
• This credit initiative helps address challenges in commercialization, ensuring defense technologies reach maturity for military use.

Strategic Implications: The program helps maintain the U.S. military’s technological edge by enabling emerging tech firms to overcome financing barriers. This initiative also seeks to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base by ensuring critical technologies are rapidly transitioned into defense capabilities.

What’s Next: The OSC plans to continue supporting defense-related innovations, expanding the range of technologies funded and encouraging private sector partnerships to ensure rapid commercialization and deployment.

For more information, visit the Critical Technology Credit Program page.