Closing the defense production gap

General Chris Cavoli, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, examines the evolving landscape of global security and the critical need for defense industrial modernization. The conflict in Ukraine has exposed a significant gap in Western arsenals: the lack of "affordable, capable, attritable mass," necessitating a shift toward high-volume, low-cost munitions to counter inexpensive drone technology. Modern warfare now demands total resilience as the "transparent battlefield" and electromagnetic warfare eliminate safe zones for networks and headquarters. To address these challenges, the defense sector is reversing traditional procurement by offering novel, disruptive solutions to warfighting problems before formal requirements are issued. Bridging this gap requires deeper collaboration between private capital, firms like Valor Equity Partners, and government initiatives like the Office of Strategic Capital to provide the credit and operational expertise necessary to scale national security technologies at pace.