Washington D.C. (July 10, 2023) – Applied Research Institute (ARI) and Crane Regional Defense Group (CRDG) hosted a series of events last month in Washington D.C in coordination with NSA Crane and defense industry leaders. The annual Team Crane Congressional Breakfast and Reception were held in our Nation’s capital and brought together government leaders, defense and technology firms, and constituents for conversations and updates about ongoing developments for the base and within Indiana’s robust defense ecosystem.
Indiana Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young, and Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon and Congresswoman Erin Houchin hosted the breakfast, sponsored by Applied Research Institute, the Federal Manager’s Association (FMA) Crane Chapter 170, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Radius Indiana. Featured speakers led a discussion on NSA Crane’s impact and criticality to the Indiana ecosystem as the region works to bridge the gap between defense technology and innovation.
ARI is partnered with NSA Crane to facilitate unique collaborations between the department of defense and non-traditional partners such as small business. “Fostering innovation takes an integrated network of diverse entities who all commit to building a better solution. Involving stakeholders, like NSA Crane, early in the ideation process through focused engagements with technical commercial leaders further unifies the ecosystem and adds more value to the proposed solutions” said Brooke Pyne, ARI’s EVP, Innovation and Strategy, and the emcee for the breakfast.
As a prelude to the Congressional Breakfast, CRDG brought together the defense ecosystem for its annual networking event hosted in downtown Washington. Guests had a unique opportunity to interact with other defense industry peers along with academic and government officials and staff to discuss relevant topics. “It was great to see so many in attendance for the second year as we grow the awareness of our organization and our mission to elevate the strategic value of Crane and expand southern Indiana’s defense innovation ecosystem,” said Kent Parisien, CRDG chair. “With this focus on local businesses, legislators and community leaders coming together to support Crane and its assets, we look forward to the future success to come.” CRDG officers and members were available to discuss the organization’s role in the southern Indiana community as an effort to expand community support and advocate for Crane at the local and federal levels.
With over 125 attendees from a diverse group of entities, these events provided a unique opportunity for these organizations to connect directly with delegation and Department of Defense leaders. “The 2023 Crane Congressional Breakfast was a resounding success,” says Dr. Angela Lewis, SES, the Technical Director at NSWC Crane. “Having key stakeholders, senior leaders from the DOD, industry, academia, as well as members of Congress in the historic Cannon Building to discuss Crane’s relevance to national defense was invaluable. This type of successful engagement was made possible through our strong partnerships with Applied Research Institute, Crane Regional Defense Group, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Radius Indiana, and Federal Managers Association.”
ARI and CRDG expect to participate annually, and plans for future events have already been discussed to continue to support the defense ecosystem in southern Indiana and throughout the Midwest.
ABOUT APPLIED RESEARCH INSTITUTE and CRANE REGIONAL DEFENSE GROUP: Applied Research Institute (ARI) is a non-profit, non-partisan leader in technology innovation and strategy. ARI serves as an innovation partner for state, local, and federal organizations, managing complex technology projects from start to finish, and collaborating with cross-sectional partners from a variety of industries – all with the goal of transforming ideas into results. Through our network of 200+ partnerships across industry, academia, and government, ARI is uniquely positioned to solve emerging technical and national security challenges in advanced technology areas such as hypersonics, cyber-physical systems, trusted microelectronics, and artificial intelligence. For more information visit our website at https://theari.us/, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Crane Regional Defense Group is a citizen-led committee that creates partnerships between chambers of commerce, county councils, financial institutions and business leaders to preserve the strategic value of Crane by supporting local outreach and legislative initiatives that protect military installations in the region and state and leverage the installation’s potential to bring economic growth to Southern Indiana.
