Welcome to the January edition of A Capitol View.
It’s a new year, a new Congress, and soon to be a new administration.
That means SMI’s lobbying, federal marketing, and communications teams are busy engaging with the key personalities in executive branch agencies and congressional oversight committees to track their evolving priorities and do what we do best: build bipartisan coalitions to advance new technologies and influence policies and investments.
As we strengthen relationships across government, industry, academia, and the media, we are also deepening our bench of policy and technical experts to maximize outcomes — in defense, tech, space, and energy. And we are expanding our network of nonprofits, trade associations, universities, and other pathfinders in the Washington ideas industry.
We look forward to navigating a dynamic year of changing political winds. And we are proud to be supporting so many innovators offering solutions and opening up new opportunities to solve a range of national challenges.
Here’s the latest snapshot of how SMI and some of its clients are turning concepts into capabilities.
SMI SPOTLIGHT
‘DEEPLY ROOTED’: SMI is thrilled to begin the new year by adding Steven Wolfe, a veteran lobbyist, public policy expert, and think tank scholar with decades of experience in defense, technology, and health care.
Wolfe, who was founder at Cardinal Point Strategies, previously served as senior policy advisor to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, where he managed the defense appropriations and authorization process for one of the most effective national security legislators.
“Steve is deeply rooted in federal policymaking and budgeting, and we are thrilled that he is bringing to our firm his unsurpassed record leading successful advocacy campaigns for a range of corporate and university clients,” said SMI CEO Bill McCann. “We are also honored to welcome some of his current clients into the SMI fold and are confident they will be in good hands as we work together to advance solutions for a host of national security, public health, and economic challenges.”
Growing portfolio: Among the clients that Steve is bringing to SMI are Scientific Systems Tonix Pharmaceuticals, and Colibrium Additive – a GE Aerospace company.
“A look at SMI’s staff roster shows that they have assembled the ideal mix of seasoned Capitol Hill veterans and technical experts from the executive agencies,” said Steve. “Together we will add extra value for my existing clients and support their thriving business.”
Read more: SMI hires veteran lobbyist, legislative leader Steven Wolfe as vice president
CAPACITY BUILDING: SMI was also pleased to join the Norwegian-American Defense & Homeland Security Industry Council (NADIC), the non-profit trade organization supporting the Norwegian defense industrial base in the United States.
Among NADIC’s objectives are helping to resolve disputes that may limit access to the U.S. market and ensure government officials and would-be-industry partners are informed of the unique capabilities of the Norwegian defense and security industrial base.
‘The next level’: “NADIC is at the forefront of developing stronger defense ties with one of America’s closest and longest NATO allies,” said SMI CEO Bill McCann.
“Now more than ever global threats demand that the United States lock arms with Norway to optimize our collective industrial capacity and ensure we have the military deterrent necessary to defend our way of life.”
He added: “SMI is eager to partner with NADIC and bring to bear our experience working with the Norwegian and American defense industries to seize new opportunities that we are confident can take our nations’ partnership to the next level.”
MAKING WAVES: Congratulations to SMI VP Jeff Leahey, who was re-elected to the board of directors of the National Hydropower Association, the leading nonprofit trade group dedicated to promoting the growth of clean, renewable hydropower and marine energy.
Jeff, a senior member of SMI’s energy team, previously served as the association’s executive VP for governmental affairs, where he advocated before Congress and federal agencies for climate and clean energy policy and tax incentives and research and development funding.
“It has been over 22 years since I started my journey on hydro issues and look forward to more years to come advocating for ‘America’s First Renewable Energy Source’ and supporting a great organization,” said Jeff.
DEFENSE
MATERIAL IMPACT: China’s steady efforts to curb the export of critical materials is putting greater pressure on the Pentagon and its contractors.
A new analysis by SMI client Govini, the defense software company, outlines how many weapon systems could be affected by strains on U.S. stockpiles from the recent limits imposed by the Chinese Commerce Ministry on the export of antimony, gallium, and germanium.
“Antimony, gallium, and germanium are critical for the creation of a range of both military and civilian products, including bullets, cables, infrared technology, EV batteries, and more,” Govini said.
By the numbers: Using its Ark.ai platform, Govini identified the number of parts and weapons systems in the DoD inventory that rely on these three materials.
“More than 20,000 individual parts used by DoD (plus the U.S. Coast Guard) are impacted by the regulations, affecting more than 1,000 weapons systems across all branches of the military,” it found. “Analysis in Ark surfaced the vital weapons systems that are most dependent on the impacted critical minerals, including Navy Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, America Class amphibious assault ships, Nimitz Class aircraft carriers, and the nuclear missile program.”
What gives: “Despite known U.S. stockpiles, ensuring readiness and sustainment for the systems that depend on these minerals on a protracted basis will require precision,” Govini concluded. “It is imperative that DoD have the ability to map supply and anticipate demand as it relates to specific weapons systems in order to effectively mitigate the risk caused by the critical minerals export controls.”
Go deeper: Army, Pentagon Explore AI’s Potential to Transform Acquisition
And mark your calendars: Govini 2025 Defense Software & Data Summit on February 26
‘LEAD THE INDUSTRY’: SMI client Physical Sciences, Inc. has been gaining more attention for its research and development of advanced composites, as the Pentagon doubles down on its development of hypersonic weapons.
The Andover, Massachusetts-based technology company was recently featured by the United States Advanced Ceramics Association (USACA), which highlighted its ambitious plans for its composites, materials, and structures business.
Big ambitions: “We want to be not only the lowest cost provider of silicon carbide composites. We also want to lead the industry in cycle time,” said George Rodgers, PSI’s vice president for advanced composites. “We want to be the low-cost, rapid supplier of very high- performing [ceramic matrix composites].”
Added John Steinbeck, Principal Research Scientist: “We think our ultra-high temperature material gives us a leg up for future systems that are well beyond Mach 5.
Read more: USACA’s January issue of Advanced Ceramics Insights
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: In another call to action, the Forging Industry Association, an SMI client, has laid out a primer for the incoming administration and Congress to retool a key element of the defense industrial base that is crucial to meeting growing threats from peer competitors like China and Russia.
Then and now: “…[J]ust as forging was a central ingredient of America’s leadership in the Industrial Revolution, it remains so in the digital age, where even some of the most automated equipment and weapons platforms require that mix of carbon, steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel or alloys to perform their required functions,” interim CEO Angela Gibian writes in the latest issue of National Defense Magazine, published by the National Defense Industrial Association.
An action plan: The commentary lays out some concrete steps that the Department of Defense, Congress, and prime contractors can take now, including: streamlining the process for adding forging companies to approved vendor lists; adding more varied types of materials; extending the period of contracts to allow forging houses to better utilize their available capacity; and making additional investments in new furnaces, scanning technology, and other infrastructure and workforce development programs through the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III and the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) programs.
“The hard truth,” Gibian warns, “is that the nation is at serious risk of future shortages of many of the metal forgings that are central to our industrial might and national security.”
More defense intel: Investment Strategy for the Office of Strategic Capital
Plus: An Analysis of the Navy’s 2025 Shipbuilding Plan
TECHNOLOGY
AI NATION: SMI is expanding its portfolio of clients who are leading the AI revolution and is proud to have a highly experienced stable of former government officials who have been at the forefront of shaping policy around these new technologies. A new bipartisan vision in Congress will help guide our efforts.
The recently released report of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence provides that detailed roadmap, laying out a series of parameters to guide oversight decisions and regulation of AI going forward.
‘No easy task’: “Developing a bipartisan vision for AI adoption, innovation, and governance is no easy task, but a necessary one as we look to the future of AI and ensure Americans see real benefits from this technology,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, who established the panel with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
It says policymakers “should be wary of algorithm-informed decision-making” but also warns against government overreach. It calls for reserving government mandates for issues raised by AI that “are truly novel and without precedent” and relying on existing laws and regulations if they already address underlying concerns.
The recommendations of the 12-member task force, co-chaired by Reps. Jay Obernotle and Ted Lieu, were the result of 10 months of consultation with government, industry, and civil society leaders and more than a dozen hearings and roundtable discussions.
Read more: What they’re saying about the House AI Task Force Report
CHEMICAL REACTION: The White House issued the first Federal Sustainable Chemistry Strategic Plan that sets out a path to discover and design new chemicals and chemical processes that are renewable and generate minimal waste.
A leader in the effort has been Joel Tickner, a professor of public health at SMI client University of Massachusetts Lowell and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Change Chemistry, which played a central role in passage of the Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act that mandated the plan.
‘Urgent need’: “We worked hard to ensure that the strategy responded to the urgent need for innovative, feasible, safer and sustainable chemistries at scale that can be widely adopted across the value chain and sectors,” said Tickner, who participated in the launch event at the White House on Dec. 19.
The plan outlines steps to bridge discovery and commercialization, promote more adoption in the private sector, and ensure sustainable chemistry principles and practices are folded into government regulations, purchasing, and the future workforce.
SPACE
‘SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP’: A new agreement between NASA and a consortium of Florida universities promises to transform how academia supports the nation’s space agency through research funding, fellowships, and more.
The memorandum of understanding signed at Kennedy Space Center this month with SMI client University of Florida, University of Central Florida, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University designates their Florida University Space Research Consortium as the state’s official space research entity to help with awarding NASA research grants.
Materials, robotics, and more: “This symbiotic partnership makes way for collaborative research opportunities and increased exposure to advanced technology, significantly enhancing NASA’s research output in fields such as aerospace engineering, material science, robotics and environmental science,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro.
“The mission for this consortium is very simple, and that is that we are going to lead the nation and the world in all areas of research associated with space sciences,” said Kent Fuchs, interim president of the University of Florida.
Read more: NASA’s Kennedy Marks New Chapter for Florida Space Industry
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING
FORWARD MOTION: Concerns about the prospect of new tariffs on foreign goods and materials are pushing more U.S. footwear brands to expand their domestic supply chains. And that’s good news for a resurgent American footwear industry, which SMI is proud to represent via the United States Footwear Manufacturers Association.
“There’s no doubt that there’s a new wave of interest,” Pepper Harward, chief executive officer Oka Brands, Inc., recently told Footwear News.
‘A new wave’: The added momentum comes on top of interest that was first sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, which squeezed or cut off global supply chains, he added. “The brands just are relieved and feel like it’s great timing with tariffs and other challenges they’re having to deal with,” said Harward. “I think we’re just starting to see a new wave because of that.”
Another USFMA member, American Sole, told the publication that it is also seeing a growing desire of footwear brands to support domestic manufacturing and offer “Made in America” branding on their shoes.
“They want something with the American flag to say, ‘You know what? I have an American made product,’” said Jack Kishk, president of American Sole.
Plus: New Balance sales jump 20% in 2024, reach record $7.8 billion
LIFE SCIENCES
BATTLEFIELD MEDICINE: The Department of Defense is seeking proposals to prototype a diverse set of new medical technologies as it invests more in breakthrough techniques and treatments that hold particular promise for the troops.
The new effort calls for white papers on “medical prototype technological and knowledge solutions” in areas such as medical devices, drugs, and biologics.
Focus areas range from treatments for musculoskeletal injury to monitors for intracranial pressure to techniques for quickly sterilizing stainless steel medical instruments and “precision nutrition.”
Mark your calendars: White papers are due February 10 and awards could reach as much as $5 million.
To learn more, contact SMI VP Travis Taylor at travis@strategticmi.com.
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