Defense Tech Task Force

Forging a New Era of Allied Defense Tech Collaboration
US Central Command/courtesy photo

A new and fast-moving global defense tech ecosystem is emerging, backed by startups, national-security-aligned investors, and commercial companies. This ecosystem, which spans the United States, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific, is evolving rapidly and delivering capability. But it is under strain. Governments are reasserting sovereignty and charting divergent courses on the use of AI in warfare. The scale advantage of a global defense tech ecosystem is real, as is the potential for fragmentation amid political headwinds.

With allied defense tech cooperation at a crossroads, GMF has launched a new Defense Tech Task Force that brings together experts with high-level government, military, and business experience. The task force will focus on ways to accelerate defense-tech collaboration among the United States, Europe, and their partners worldwide.

The task force is co-chaired by two distinguished leaders: Nate Fick, chief strategy officer for equities at Cerberus Capital Management and a senior research fellow at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs; and General (ret.) Denis Mercier, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. Dr. Daniel Kliman, GMF senior vice president for Global Power Shifts, serves as task force director.

The full membership of the task force is listed below.

Co-Chairs:

  • Nate Fick, Chief Strategy Officer for Equities, Cerberus Capital Management; Senior Research Fellow, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs
  • General (ret.) Denis Mercier, former Head, NATO Allied Transformation Command

Members: 

  • The Honorable Cara Abercrombie, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
  • Marc Ablong PSM, former Deputy Secretary, Australian Department of Home Affairs; Managing Partner, Geostrategic Risk Partners Pty Ltd 
  • Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General, DIGITALEUROPE
  • Odysseas Christofi, CEO, ECAPS
  • Alex Fink, President and US CEO, Swarmer 
  • Vice Admiral (ret.) Sanjay Mahindru, former Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, India 
  • General (ret.) Curtis Scaparrotti, Member, Board of Trustees, GMF; former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
  • Chris Schroeder, Chair, Board of Trustees, GMF 
  • Dan Smoot, CEO, Vantor 
  • Sebastian Straube, Venture Partner, Sunfish 
  • Justin Zeefe, Founding Partner, Green Flag Ventures 

Director:

  • Dr. Daniel Kliman, Senior Vice President, Global Power Shifts, GMF
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