The world is entering a new era of great power competition – and under President Trump’s second term, America is rising to meet the challenge with a bold renaissance in military technology.
As Vice President J.D. Vance declared in Paris this April, “The United States of America is the leader in AI, and our administration plans to keep that. The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety. It will be won by building.”
Nowhere is this shift more apparent than in the Trump administration’s embrace of a new generation of defense technology firms. Companies like Anduril, Palantir, and Rune Technologies – many born in Silicon Valley and backed by forward-looking firms like Andreessen Horowitz – are doing what the Pentagon’s old guard wouldn’t: moving fast, building real solutions, and delivering battlefield-ready systems powered by AI, autonomy, and real-time data.
No longer content to let bloated defense bureaucracies and legacy contractors dominate the battlefield of tomorrow, the Trump administration has prioritized speed, innovation, and results. With Vice President Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth leading the charge, we are witnessing the most consequential modernization of our national defense since President Reagan.
The White House’s message is clear: our military must remain the most innovative, tech-ready war force that the world has ever seen. It’s why President Trump’s recent FY26 budget priorities significantly increase military spending and call for more investments in AI. To effectuate these budgetary objectives, American entrepreneurs must innovate and build right here in America.
Michael Kratsios, an architect of the Trump administration’s first-term tech strategy, is back and once again helping spearhead this digital transformation. His work ensuring the Department of Defense moves with the urgency of a startup is reshaping the way America prepares for conflict – deterring China, outpacing Russia, and ensuring our warfighters never again fight with last decade’s tools.
The global dimension of this transformation was on full display this week during President Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East, where he met with regional allies and reinforced America’s strategic leadership. The Riyadh summit, which drew attendance from leading tech moguls and entrepreneurs highlighted how tomorrow’s alliances will be forged not just through diplomacy, but through joint technological capability, especially in artificial intelligence. AI is the new battleground – and our allies must understand that the future of defense cooperation lies in software, not just hardware.
This isn’t just rhetoric. It’s a renaissance – fueled by America First patriots, powered by private-sector innovation, and anchored by a new generation of leaders who understand that American dominance must be designed, engineered, and built right here at home.
This is how we win the next war before it begins. And under the Trump administration, the future of American defense can be faster, smarter, and stronger than ever.
John Pence serves as general counsel of Frontline Strategies, a leading digital fundraising and prospecting agency, and chairman of Frontline Government Relations. He has extensive experience as a general counsel, a government relations and political strategist, communications advisor, and business consultant. From 2016 to 2020, he served as a senior advisor to the Trump-Pence presidential campaign, working closely with The White House’s Office of Political Affairs and the Republican National Committee. From 2021 to 2024, he was CEO of Pence Strategy Group where he advised clients through issue advocacy, strategic communications and business consulting to develop strategic initiatives within the e-commerce merchandise and fulfillment industry and then served as Of Counsel at Ice Miller LLP.
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
