Strengthening Michigan–Israel Defense Ties in Washington, D.C.
Written by Bernard Bourgeois, Managing Director, Business Development
MIBA participates in AUSA and CET Sandbox Delegation
October was a busy and productive month in Washington, D.C. for MIBA as we attended two key events that brought Israeli aerospace and defense companies to the US: the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and the CET Forum 2025.
At AUSA, the premier annual gathering of the U.S. Army and its industry partners, MIBA connected with Israeli defense technology companies and U.S. counterparts exploring next-generation solutions in aerospace and defense. We met with all three of Israel’s big three defense companies – IAI, Elbit, and Rafael – as well as a handful of other companies that made the trip. Our presence helped position Michigan as a strategic partner for companies looking to commercialize defense innovations and integrate into the U.S. industrial base.
Later in the month, MIBA returned to the nation’s capital to welcome the CET Forum 2025. CET (Critical Emerging Technologies) is a nonprofit accelerator program specifically for Israel companies in aerospace and defense. This program brought 20 Israeli defense startups to the US for three days of meetings with stakeholders for high-level discussions on opportunities and insights in how to work within the US ecosystem. It was a chance to strengthen relationships, highlight Michigan’s growing defense innovation ecosystem, and showcase the state’s unique assets in the defense industry.
While we were in DC, we made time to visit the IAI Visitor Center, a showcase of the key technologies that IAI deploys to keep the world safe. We also met the DC-based representative of the Israel Ministry of Defense’s Mission Office.
Together, these engagements underscore MIBA’s mission to build lasting commercial bridges between Michigan and Israel—turning innovation into opportunity, and partnerships into impact.
