The Oath That Built a Nation
12 November 2025 - A Weekly Publication by New North Ventures
When George Washington resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon, he set a precedent as powerful as any victory—service without self-interest. Like the Roman farmer-soldier Cincinnatus, he embodied the ideal of citizens who serve not for power or profit but to preserve the republic. That same spirit shaped the first American soldiers in 1775, ordinary people bound by an oath to defend ideas greater than themselves.
Two and a half centuries later, that oath still echoes. It endures in veterans who traded uniforms for startups and in founders who see technology as a civic act. At New North Ventures we’re seeing a generation of entrepreneurs who combine Washington’s restraint with Franklin’s inventiveness—builders who understand that innovation and duty are not opposing forces but complementary virtues. Dual-use ventures at their best follow this lineage, solving national problems through private initiative and balancing commercial success with public purpose.
For those working at the frontier of defense and technology, the lesson is both timeless and practical. Serve first, build well, hand it forward. The measure of success is not how much power is kept but how much resilience is created. The oath that once bound citizen-soldiers now guides citizen-builders—quietly, steadily, toward a stronger republic.
The Pentagon is moving at what Defense Secretary Hegseth calls “wartime speed” to overhaul weapons production. Program offices are being streamlined, testing bottlenecks cleared, and commercial solutions are being used when custom military systems move too slowly. The goal is to prevent bureaucracy from leaving the U.S. behind in an era of fast-moving global threats.
The changes are affecting both traditional defense contractors and newer, nontraditional suppliers. Major contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin now face pressure to adapt or risk losing ground to smaller, more agile companies. The Pentagon is also aiming to diversify supply chains and create incentives for companies to invest in production capacity, signaling a willingness to move beyond decades-old acquisition practices.
For dual-use founders and investors, the key takeaway is that the Pentagon is actively creating space for faster contracting and alternative suppliers. How these shifts play out over the next 12 to 18 months—particularly in partnerships between startups and legacy players—will be worth watching closely. The emphasis on speed, reliability, and flexibility in acquisition reflects a significant evolution in U.S. defense procurement.
More links to explore:
US Nuclear Bomber Fleet Shares Fence With Trailer Park Linked To Chinese Intel-Tied Fraudster
The Next Big Funding Source Isn’t VC/PE. It’s the Office of Strategic Capital
Reality Defender has been inducted into JPMorganChase’s 2025 Hall of Innovation, recognizing its deepfake detection platform for measurable business impact and trusted partnerships in securing critical communications. The award highlights the company’s ability to protect enterprise operations from AI-driven impersonation and fraud.
The induction follows Reality Defender’s recent RealAPI launch, which expands deepfake detection capabilities to developers worldwide. The platform integrates directly into enterprise workflows, helping organizations verify content authenticity at scale while reducing fraud exposure and maintaining business continuity in an era of rapidly evolving generative AI threats.
For investors and partners, Reality Defender exemplifies the dual-use promise: combining advanced AI technology with operational credibility and tangible outcomes. By partnering closely with financial institutions like JPMorganChase, the company demonstrates that proactive, scalable defenses against synthetic media are not just possible—they are essential.
In this episode, host Jeremy sits down with Paul Lwin, the pioneer behind HavocAI, a maritime technology company that’s just 21 months old. Paul shares their incredible journey of raising $85 million, growing a team of 80, and generating $3 million in revenue through advanced autonomous maritime vessels. Learn about Havoc’AIs mission to create a ‘Hellscape’ in the Pacific with thousands of intelligent vessels, overcoming challenges in maritime environments, and utilizing cutting-edge AI and ML technologies. With real-world applications and insights into dual-use innovation, this episode sheds light on the future of maritime domain awareness and autonomous systems.
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