AREA OF INTEREST FOR THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC CAPITAL (OSC): DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL VENTURE ENGAGEMENT

The Department of War (DoW) Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) is responsible for shaping private investment toward national security priorities. To do this effectively, OSC must operate from accurate, timely, and context rich data on emerging technologies, capital markets, and industrial base conditions. Decision speed is constrained today by fragmented information, inconsistent analytic tools, and uneven workforce understanding of the ecosystems driving defense relevant innovation.

Section 230 of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), directs the Department to deepen its understanding of emerging technology and commercial business environments. OSC intends to use this Area of Interest to close these knowledge gaps and accelerate Department readiness.

OSC seeks complete innovative solutions that enable personnel of the Department to rapidly understand the technology and business ecosystems shaping the future defense industrial base. Solutions must deliver operational insight, not theoretical analysis, and must reduce time to understanding and deliver skills so Department personnel can effectively contribute and translate between private market companies, especially private credit, and banking professionals. Combined with established military experience and perspective this should result in capabilities to source, assess, and close financial transactions within OSC.

OSC seeks solutions in one or more of the four areas of primary focus:

1. Market Research - understanding of, connectivity with, and access to knowledge about critical and emerging defense industrial base capabilities; and
2. Capital Markets - Understanding of the strategic role that venture capital and private capital play in shaping future, scaling, sustainment and modernization for the defense industrial base. This includes but is not limited to all OSC covered technology areas and Department strategic priorities.
3. Lean Launchpad Methodology - Prototype business processes to rapidly acquire, deploy, and train personnel of the Department on the use of commercial off the shelf software and/or training solutions that enable rapid attainment of the understanding and access mandated by Section 230 of the 2025 NDAA.
4. Placement Assistance – Facilitate placement in qualifying private-sector organizations who have functions and expertise relevant to the responsibilities of OSC, shadow senior leaders within those organizations, and develop meaningful metrics capturing outcomes and effects (e.g., time to competency, number of successful financial transactions, and impact on national security priorities).

See the attached Area of Interest for further information.