Summary
Circle Optics is strengthening its engagement in Washington as part of its long term strategy in national security markets. Over the past eighteen months, the company has made multiple visits to Capitol Hill and participated in the Griffiss Institute HUSTLE Defense Accelerator to better understand how appropriations, authorization language, and oversight shape defense acquisition.
Defense markets are shaped long before contracts are awarded.
Funding levels are determined through appropriations. Program structure is influenced by authorization language. Oversight affects how agencies evaluate suppliers and how acquisition strategies evolve. These forces operate upstream from any individual contract decision.
Over the past eighteen months, Circle Optics has built a sustained presence in Washington in recognition of that reality. The company has made multiple visits to meet with congressional offices, policy leaders, and national security stakeholders to better understand how decisions are formed and how emerging technologies are positioned within federal systems.
Most recently, Chief Operating Officer Ian Gauger and Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sertl traveled to Washington as participants in the Griffiss Institute HUSTLE Defense Accelerator led by Michael Feng. The program brings defense innovators into direct engagement with policymakers and acquisition professionals to deepen understanding of appropriations, oversight, and reform dynamics.
Feng is clear about the shift underway.
“The rules have changed. If you are not covering your bases in Washington, you are leading your company with one hand tied behind your back. Your competitors are engaged. In today’s defense market, engagement on the Hill is required.”
The acquisition environment is evolving. Reform efforts within the NDAA and broader modernization initiatives are prompting agencies to reconsider supplier relationships. Concerns about vendor lock in, cost layering, and supply chain resilience are influencing how programs are structured and how component providers are evaluated.
For companies operating in space and defense markets, understanding these shifts informs how technologies are positioned and how partnerships are structured.
For small businesses, the implications are sharper. Large primes maintain established government relations infrastructures. They monitor legislative language, appropriations markups, and oversight developments as part of routine operations. Smaller innovators often focus primarily on product performance and agency relationships.
As Matthew Herrmann of The Roosevelt Group observed:
“If you are not engaging at the federal government level, you do not get to shape the conversation, especially as a small business. It’s critical to get your message out and develop relationships with your delegations and like-minded legislators.”
Policy shapes funding. Funding shapes programs. Programs shape markets. Participation influences how emerging capabilities are understood and prioritized.
For Circle Optics, engagement is directly tied to mission delivery. As Chief Operating Officer Ian Gauger explains:
“Our focus is mission impact. If our technology is going to support national security operations, then we have to understand the system that fields and funds those operations. Showing up, listening, and engaging is part of that responsibility.”
Innovation remains foundational. But in defense markets, innovation alone does not determine outcomes. Funding priorities, authorization language, and oversight shape which capabilities move forward and how they are integrated.
For Circle Optics, that reality has informed action. Over the past eighteen months, the company has invested time in Washington because its technologies are designed to operate within national security architectures. Understanding how those architectures are funded and governed is part of responsible growth.
