Defense Tech Newsletter

INNOVATION

Texas is America’s new defense‑tech powerhouse

Over the past decade, Texas has quietly transformed from a region known for oil and cattle into one of the most dynamic defense technology ecosystems in the United States. Fueled by a combination of military infrastructure, strategic federal investment, pro-business policies, world-class universities, and deepening international ties, the Lone Star State is rapidly emerging as a centerpiece of American defense innovation.

British company tops leaderboard for Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program

The DOD announced the winners of the program's first "Gauntlet."

INVESTMENT

Scout Ventures Raises $125M Fund V

Austin-based fund Scout Ventures announced that it’s closed a $125M Fund V to invest in tech companies that are building “artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, space infrastructure, cyber, quantum, and advanced power technologies.” The new fund brings total funding raised by Scout to over $400M.

Defense technology company invests $25M to expand in Mississippi

Defense technology company General Atomics will expand its operations in Shannon, Mississippi, which is home to the company’s Electromagnetic Systems Group. The project represents a corporate investment of more than $25 million.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Trojan force: Hidden backdoors may lurk inside AI models, report says

Researchers planted hidden triggers to see if compromised AI systems could be detected

Google Launches AI Agent Builder for Pentagon Portal

Google deepens defense AI push with custom agent builder as Anthropic battles Trump admin

AI and the New Blueprint of Terrorism

Advanced violence is democratizing. AI, in conjunction with dramatic improvements in robotics, energy production, and sensors, will increasingly enable ever-smaller groups of people to use targeted violence more effectively, and from a distance. Over time, this shift will dramatically impact all varieties of force projection: state-on-state war, various forms of low-intensity conflict, and how states enforce internal order.

AI-Ready Biodata Is America’s Next Strategic Infrastructure

There is little doubt in Washington that AI is a powerful technology that will help determine which country rules the 21st century. Policymakers from the Hill to the White House have made U.S. AI leadership a priority and invested significant resources towards staying ahead of competitors. Yet the United States is at perhaps greater risk than ever before of losing the broader global technology competition.

TECHNOLOGY

Lux Aeterna raises $10 million to build reusable, returnable satellites

Reusable rockets solved the problem of getting hardware into space at lower cost. What they did not solve is the problem of bringing valuable equipment back to Earth.

POLICY

Anthropic sues DOD, Hegseth, and a dozen other federal agencies

The company asserts that its designation as a supply-chain risk is an illegal retaliation, not an action to protect national security.

The Only Way to Contain Iran is the One We Abandoned

This persistent reality raises a difficult but unavoidable question for foreign policymakers: what should be done now differently to control the military risks associated with Iran’s nuclear program?

EUROPE

First Ukrainian Defense Tech Unicorn: Uforce Hits $1B Valuation

Uforce, a London-based startup founded by Ukrainians, has raised $50 million in seed funding, bringing its valuation to over $1 billion, marking a significant milestone for both Ukraine and the UK in the defense technology sector, Resilience Media reported on March 5.

SECURITY

Trump cyber strategy outlines tougher stance on cybercrime and adversaries

Washington’s latest - and briefest - cyber strategy emphasises deterrence and technological advantage as cyber conflict becomes increasingly intertwined with geopolitical rivalry