Ohio to host defense innovation hub

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Representative Michael Turner (R-OH-10) announced the Department of Defense has selected Ohio to host a defense innovation hub, the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center. The Department of Defense will establish the hub in the Miami Valley to accelerate the development and adoption of new technology solutions to meet national security challenges, and support Ohio small businesses that are on the leading edge of new technology, but face barriers to working with the Defense Department. Ohio was selected as one of five states by the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit to host a hub, and the Department of Defense will provide $1.9 million to the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center.

Ohio’s Mission Acceleration Center will bring different organizations together – including startups, academia, industry, local and federal partners, and other local talent and technology – to promote innovation, connect them directly to Department of Defense needs, and strengthen the defense industrial base. Headquartered in Dayton, it will be operated by the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center, part of a Mission Acceleration Center National Network, and Ohio’s Parallax Advanced Research to support national security and regional economic development goals. The Mission Acceleration Center will help make the complex defense acquisition process more accessible to innovators seeking to develop prototypes, test the prototypes in realistic environments, reduce risk, and transition the technologies into weapon systems that will give America’s military forces an advantage over our adversaries.

“Ohio leads the country in defense industry innovation, and is the obvious choice for this new center,” Brown says. “We worked together to bring this regional hub to Ohio to create new opportunities for Ohio businesses and workers, and to continue to cement our state’s leadership in defense, manufacturing, and aerospace.”

Brown and Turner announced the Ohio investment on a conference call and were joined by Michael Gessel, vice president of federal government programs at the Dayton Development Coalition.

“The announcement of a Dayton-based Mission Acceleration Center is great news for Southwest Ohio and U.S. national security. The center will bolster the innovation ecosystem around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is critical to Ohio’s growing defense economy. These technologies can be transitioned to weapons systems that give our men and women in uniform the tools they need to be successful against our adversaries,” says Congressman Mike Turner, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“The selection of Ohio for this pilot program demonstrates the importance of our state in developing new defense technologies and connecting small business to support the warfighting effort. This will strengthen our national defense as well as help business in the region,” says Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.

Brown was key in securing funding for this program. Last year, Brown urged both the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Secretary of Defense to include $50 million for Mission Acceleration Centers such as the Ohio Mission Acceleration Center.

Congressman Turner has supported funding for the DOD’s broader Mission Acceleration Program in recent government funding cycles. The House of Representatives’ version of the fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill currently contains $65 million for the Mission Acceleration Program, which Congressman Turner had previously advocated for.