TERRE HAUTE (Oct. 30, 2018) – Today, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced the diversification achieved with grant funds from the Office of Economic Adjustment, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense.
“Collaboration and successful partnerships are taking Indiana’s defense sector to the Next Level, and I am inspired by the work being done in our state,” Crouch said. “We are fortunate to have a strong network of businesses that are working to increase our defense footprint, and with these funds we are able to help them achieve their goals.”
In 2015, the Indiana Office of Defense Development received a $2.7 million grant from the Office of Economic Adjustment and with these funds the agency implemented diversification for defense businesses in communications, strategic planning, lien management and certifications.
“I’m happy to partner with Lt. Governor Crouch and the Indiana Office of Defense Development on protecting and promoting our state’s defense assets,” said Larry Buschon, Congressman of the 8th District. “The collaborative roles local, state and federal leaders play is crucial in this dialogue.”
The funds were also utilized to create a software system called Coliseum, an innovative ecosystem that spans between DOD technology requirements and the private sector to bring the speed of business to defense and national security acquisition.
“Coliseum is essentially a virtual Silicon Valley-like digital platform that brings the best practices of today’s leading industry innovation clusters and digital marketplaces to disruptively scale the process of identification, production, deployment, operation and sustainment of optimized solutions to national defense requirements,” said Danielle Chrysler, Director of the IODD. “This is the next generation of defense for Indiana.”
Additionally, it was announced that the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce was launching a task force called West Central Indiana Defense Network.
“In an effort to both support and elevate the military assets in the West Central Indiana, community leaders are working collaboratively to create a plan of action to both protect and develop the defense asset industry in Terre Haute and the entire West Central Indiana region,” said David Haynes, Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce President. “Recognizing defense development is a complex industry and working alongside the state of Indiana on collaborative marketing and outreach enhances our region’s ability to be successful.”
The West Central Indiana Defense Network was created under the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce to develop an ever-evolving and comprehensive plan to attract talent that can nourish businesses, help protect and grow current military assets and advance new economic development opportunities.
More information can be found at https://www.wcidefense.com.
