Bringing venture capital into defense procurement, and Europe’s reorientation, are becoming game-changers in the contest between democracies and autocracies

On September 15, 2025, the US Army launched the Fuze program, which adopts a venture capital model to accelerate the implementation of military technologies and the procurement of modern weapons.

The Fuze program aims to attract dozens of project investments in startups: the first part of the project combines four existing funding streams totaling approximately $750 million in 2025: several $500,000 grants will be distributed among companies in the fields of electronic warfare, UAVs, and anti-drone technologies.

The launch of the Fuze program is a signal of profound changes in the architecture of US defense orders, where the model consisting of bureaucratic procedures is being replaced by venture attraction of fast financing and willingness to tolerate risk for breakthrough results.