Defense Innovation’s Next Frontier Is Already Taking Shape in North Carolina

North Carolina is well known for its premier military installations, including the 82nd Airborne Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, and Joint Special Operations Command. Across all branches, the state hosts over 100,000 active-duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel, and is home to more than 600,000 veterans.

But military presence alone does not drive defense innovation. It’s North Carolina’s ability to connect operational needs with a world-class ecosystem of entrepreneurs, manufacturers, research firms, and technology developers capable of delivering solutions at speed that sets it apart.

Together, these assets create a powerful engine for accelerating technology transition, connecting innovators directly with defense needs, and delivering mission-relevant capabilities to the Warfighter at speed and scale. From the Charlotte and Piedmont Triad area, renowned for motorsports, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, to the “Silicon Valley of the East” in the Research Triangle Park, and the warfighter-centered entrepreneurs of the Sandhills, North Carolina possesses a built-in infrastructure to facilitate military speed, scale, and tactical advantage through innovation.

As the U.S. Department of War (DoW) confronts the evolving landscape of warfare and the need to deliver warfighter advantage, North Carolina offers a network of companies and innovators creating advanced capabilities that address the challenge of developing new weapons at the intersection of speed, scale, and cost.

Contested Logistics and Manufacturing

North Carolina's competitive tax policies, streamlined regulations, and strong public-private partnerships create a business-friendly environment where companies can innovate and scale quickly. Deepwater ports, rail networks, interstate corridors, and a growing advanced manufacturing base connect businesses to domestic and global markets while supporting resilient supply chains, distributed manufacturing, and the rapid production capabilities needed for contested environments.

The state's manufacturing strengths extend beyond infrastructure. An advanced manufacturing powerhouse, the state features rapidly growing aerospace, biomanufacturing, and energy industries. As home to NASCAR, North Carolina has cultivated a culture of high-performance engineering focused on lightweight materials, precision manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and systems optimization. These capabilities increasingly support defense applications, where innovations originally developed for motorsports are being adapted for military vehicles, aircraft, autonomous systems, and soldier technologies.

By combining world-class engineering talent with manufacturing capacity and logistics infrastructure, North Carolina offers a powerful environment for advancing contested logistics solutions, accelerating the transition of emerging technologies into mission-relevant capabilities that can be fielded, scaled, and integrated across the defense ecosystem. The result is a statewide ecosystem capable of moving innovations from design and testing to production and deployment with the speed and flexibility required to support national security missions. 

Biotechnology

Home to one of the nation's largest life sciences clusters, North Carolina combines world-class research institutions, biomanufacturing infrastructure, commercialization expertise, and a deep bench of startup and industry partners. From advanced therapeutics and bioindustrial manufacturing to diagnostics, synthetic biology, and medical technologies, the state has built an innovation engine that consistently translates scientific discovery into scalable, real-world solutions. This enables the identification of commercial technologies that can strengthen national security, reduce reliance on fragile supply chains, and deliver mission-relevant capabilities to the field at speed.

Across the state, manufacturers, researchers, military installations, and industry partners are developing technologies that protect force health, enhance human performance, improve battlefield medical response, and strengthen biodefense preparedness. This work includes wearable technologies that improve soldier survivability and performance, advanced medical countermeasures, biological threat detection, and next-generation manufacturing capabilities that can rapidly produce critical materials and therapeutics. Combined with the state's large military population and strong public-private partnerships, these capabilities create a direct pathway for testing, validating, and scaling innovations that improve operational effectiveness and ensure America's Warfighters remain healthy, resilient, and prepared for the challenges of future conflicts.

Quantum Tech

Partnerships between industry, research institutes, and academia have positioned North Carolina as a growing leader in quantum technology. The state is home to globally recognized quantum programs at Duke University and NC State University, including the Duke Quantum Center as well as NC State's Quantum Initiative and IBM Quantum Innovation Center.  

Together, these institutions are advancing research in quantum computing, networking, communications, and materials while developing the next generation of quantum talent. Combined with North Carolina's collaborative innovation ecosystem, strong technology sector, and commercialization infrastructure, these assets create a foundation for translating quantum discoveries into real-world applications that support national security, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, resilient communications, and future decision-advantage capabilities. 

Commercialization

Innovation succeeds when promising technologies can move quickly from the laboratory to real-world application. North Carolina's commercialization ecosystem helps bridge that gap by connecting startups, small businesses, research institutions, industry partners, and end users.  

The state's strengths in technology scouting, product development, testing, validation, manufacturing, and business growth create an environment where emerging technologies can mature rapidly and scale efficiently. These capabilities help innovators identify market opportunities, navigate complex adoption pathways, and accelerate the transition of commercial and dual-use technologies into operational use, helping bridge the gap between innovation and mission impact.

With one of the nation’s largest military and veteran populations, North Carolina has the unique opportunity to 10X the pace of technology transition into military applications. Proximity to military bases serves as a “testing ground,” where innovation designed for civilian applications can be retrofitted for military use. Feedback can be provided in real time, shortening the timeline from prototype to operational feedback and capability refinement. For example, biotechnology or contested logistics prototypes designed in RTP can be tested at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville and then manufactured in Western North Carolina, connecting the entire state.  

North Carolina's concentration of military installations, research entities, technology companies, and advanced manufacturers creates an end-to-end innovation ecosystem that can move promising technologies from concept to deployment faster than other regions. Veteran entrepreneurs, defense contractors, and academic researchers work alongside military stakeholders to identify operational challenges, refine solutions, and accelerate the transition of dual-use technologies into real-world capabilities that enhance mission readiness and operational effectiveness. 

AI serves as a foundational capability that enhances everything from autonomy and logistics to sensing, decision support, and mission integration. It’s a force multiplier across nearly every defense technology area, enabling autonomous systems, accelerating decision-making, improving operational effectiveness, and connecting data, platforms, and operators across increasingly complex mission environments.  

North Carolina's unique combination of research institutions, technology innovators, manufacturers, and military partners creates an ideal environment for applying AI to real-world challenges. RTI and its statewide partners help identify, validate, and scale AI-enabled solutions, accelerating the transition of commercial innovations into mission-ready capabilities that deliver meaningful advantage to the Warfighter.

As the DIU looks to expand its presence in the Southeast, North Carolina’s military installations, technology capabilities, and robust commercial ecosystem make it an ideal location for an OnRamp Hub. Activating the state's established network of veterans, manufacturers, researchers, and innovators will create new opportunities to identify commercially developed technologies, accelerate technology transition, and deliver mission-relevant capabilities to the Warfighter. 

RTI and our partners are committed to continuing to form statewide partnerships that will build a successful DIU OnRamp Hub in North Carolina. By serving as a neutral, trusted intermediary, we help organizations navigate collaboration, align around shared goals, and move quickly from concept to deployment. 

North Carolina is more than a promising location for a DIU OnRamp Hub; it is a catalyst for defense innovation. With the talent, infrastructure, military presence, and collaborative ecosystem already in place, the state is uniquely positioned to accelerate the delivery of mission-ready capabilities to the Warfighter and strengthen America's technological advantage, ensuring the nation can out-innovate emerging threats through commercial innovation at speed and scale.