(KNOX) – Following today’s fireside chat at the 18th annual Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Summit and Expo, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and defense entrepreneur and founder of Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey, participated in a townhall with students at the University of North Dakota (UND). The discussion focused on the topic of how small, nimble defense companies like Anduril are “rebooting the arsenal of democracy.”
“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I appreciate smart investment,” said Cramer. “This is why I love Palmer Luckey. I brought him to the University of North Dakota because we need innovators who can match the speed of China, doing it cost-effectively and at a scale that can win wars. This is where the opportunity rests in our challenge, how do we unleash the innovators? I enjoyed visiting with UND students and faculty to emphasize the importance of spurring real investment in our capabilities, while fostering a culture of innovation and ingenuity.”
“Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are transforming modern conflict,” said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Anduril Industries. “Transforming the way we fight requires an approach to capability development and adoption that is more closely aligned with the commercial market than the traditional defense industrial base. I am honored to join Senator Cramer at this year’s UAS Summit and Expo, and enjoyed the opportunity to engage with UND faculty and students who continue to drive progress in this critical field.”
The pair then met with UND President Dr. Andrew Armacost and faculty to discuss what companies like Anduril look for in recent college graduates and ways UND can foster an environment of student innovation. Additionally, they emphasized ways to support creativity by shaking up the status quo of traditional educational design.
Before the townhall, Cramer and Luckey spoke at the UAS Summit, where they highlighted how policymakers can break through tradition to unleash the potential of private sector and startups like Anduril while encouraging the government to match the speed of business. The defense missions in North Dakota play a pivotal role in strengthening national security and maintaining the United States’ nuclear deterrence capabilities. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Cramer has brought several national defense and industry leaders to experience the innovative defense ecosystem in Grand Forks such as Director of the Space Development Agency Derek Tournear and E-Space Founder and CEO Greg Wyler.
Cramer has been working to attract several new missions to Grand Forks, including a temporary relocation of B-1 Bombers at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB), as well as counter UAS test missions. He has also advocated for the GFAFB to receive a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) mission in the future.
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