Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller Headline the Launch of the Integrated Warfighter Ecosystem (IWE)

Approximately 150 American companies, many of them veteran-owned, are joining forces to create the IWE to help solve the defense industrial base crisisPAYSON, Utah, Aug. 21, 2026 — Utah Governor Spencer Cox and former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller today participated in the launch of the Integrated Warfighter Ecosystem (IWE). The IWE is a coalition of approximately 150 predominantly small to midsized American companies, many of them veteran-owned businesses, that have joined forces to close capability gaps, bridge the defense industrial base’s ‘Valley of Death,’ and deliver integrated solutions to the warfighter faster. CenCore, an Utah-based company, is the integrator and founder of the IWE. 

“For generations, Utah has answered the call to support our nation’s defense,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “The launch of the Integrated Warfighter Ecosystem reflects our state’s continued leadership in bringing together innovators, manufacturers, veterans and national security partners to solve difficult challenges. Utah’s entire defense ecosystem, working alongside collaborators across the country, is helping deliver critical capabilities to America’s warfighters faster.” 

Today’s event took place at the new CenCore 55,000-square-foot global headquarters in Payson, Utah, and gathered IWE CEOs and members, operators, investors, and elected officials in one place. CenCore, a national security company, founded this ecosystem and acts as the orchestrator of the IWE — a persistent, structured pathway that connects industry capability, government demand, and mission need and moves them toward field readiness. 

Roughly 80 percent of IWE members are small, non-traditional businesses, spanning capabilities in autonomy, communications, command and control, counter-UAS, edge AI, ISR, power, and manufacturing.

“This work is personal to me. Small and mid-size companies like mine and many of those in the IWE — working behind the scenes — are the backbone of America. The skill, the commitment, the patriotism, the dedication poured into everything they do is seen and felt out at the edge of the force,” said Chris Miller, former Acting Secretary of Defense, Founder and CRO of FPF Defense.

The intent of the IWE is to create a nationwide network of aligned U.S. companies, run by CenCore, that can deliver at scale and at the tactical edge. By opening participation in the DIB beyond the traditional primes, the IWE draws on the full capabilities of the partner companies to support the warfighter — commercial manufacturers, predominantly small and medium businesses, and veteran-owned firms whose capacity has not historically been counted toward defense production.

“The warfighter is our shareholder. That is not a tagline — it is how CenCore decides where its time and capital go,” said Adam Fife, CEO of CenCore. “The capability to meet the warfighter’s need already exists in this country. What has been missing is the connective tissue between industry, government demand, and mission need. The IWE is built to be exactly that.” 

Founded in 2010, CenCore is a trusted partner in delivering innovative security solutions in an ever-evolving threat landscape. The company designs and builds deployable, containerized, ICD-705-compliant secure facilities — mobile SCIFs and deployable data centers — and delivers U.S.-built, tech-agnostic security platforms that ensure global secure communications. CenCore employs approximately 1,700 people across 27 sites nationwide, is privately held, and takes no outside investors. CenCore prioritizes cost-effective, high-performance solutions over superficial appeal.