Senators Schmitt and Hickenlooper Lead Bipartisan Bill to Spur Defense Tech Innovation, Create Jobs

Bill Establishes Tech Hubs in Missouri, Colorado, and Across the Country

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Defense Technology Hubs Act which seeks to spur defense innovation and investment across 10 regions, like Missouri and Colorado to modernize our defense innovation base, and create good-paying jobs across the heartland.

“We cannot deter great power conflict, we cannot protect the American way of life, and we cannot guarantee peace through strength if we cannot build the tools of defense at scale and speed. The United States faces an ever-growing challenge of maintaining our advantage amid rapid advancements and innovations from our foreign adversaries like China, and we must rise to the challenge. With Missouri serving as a key model for this program, I look forward to these tech hubs spreading across the nation to ensure our military is prepared for the next century of technological threats,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.

“You don’t have to look further than Colorado to see how a strong, interconnected defense tech ecosystem spurs even greater cutting-edge breakthroughs,” said John Senator Hickenlooper. “America needs to double down on our innovation advantage to compete with China’s accelerating investments.” 

Background

The Defense Technology Hubs Act will:

• Require DoD to establish a program to designate and support regional DoD Tech Hubs focused on advancing defense technologies critical to national security.
• Establish the criteria for eligible consortia to receive a DoD Tech Hub, including:
  • Capability in defense-relevant technology areas.
  • Evidence of regional collaboration and stakeholder commitment.
  • Presence of anchor Federal defense institutions or mission-critical military installations that support or utilize emerging defense technologies, particularly in geospatial intelligence, data fusion, and AI.
• Require the Secretary of Defense to ensure that DoD Tech Hubs do not duplicate existing efforts such as DIU, EDA Tech Hubs, DARPA, Manufacturing USA Institutes, and NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines.
• Bar foreign entities of concern, as identified by DoD in coordination with the intelligence community and consistent with existing federal designations, like Commerce Department’s Entity List.
• Have an authorization of $375 million for fiscal years 2026 to 2030, while also including 1:1 cost sharing requirement with non-federal private and state sources.

Click HERE to read the full legislation.

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