About
A neutral platform for defense innovation in Montana
Montana Innovation Campus is a Montana 501(c)(3) nonprofit led by veterans and economic developers. We connect industry, the military, academia, and rural communities around testing, training, and the jobs that follow.
Mission
Build a nonprofit-governed innovation ecosystem for dual-use technology development, experimentation, commercialization, and unconventional warfare training, and grow public-private partnerships that bring workforce and economic benefits to the community.
Vision
Become a national model for collaborative defense innovation. Close the gap between research, operational experimentation, and commercialization. Be a destination of choice for Department of War (DoW) training, where special operations forces (SOF) and innovators work together to put new technology directly in the hands of the warfighter.
Board of directors
Veterans, business owners, and economic developers from Montana's defense and training community.
Board President
Brig. Gen. Jamie Wilkins (Ret.)
Founder & CEO, Primis Strategics (SDVOSB)
Jamie Wilkins is the founder and CEO of Primis Strategics, a Helena-based, service-disabled veteran-owned aerospace and defense advisory firm. Wilkins retired from the Montana Army National Guard as a brigadier general after a career that began with an ROTC commission from Montana State University in 1989. Senior assignments included Director of the Joint Staff for the Montana National Guard at Fort Harrison, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska, and State Army Aviation Officer. Wilkins commanded the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion, including a deployment to Kuwait for Operation Spartan Shield, and also deployed for Operation Desert Spring and Operation Iraqi Freedom. A Master Army Aviator, Wilkins holds a B.S. from Montana State University and is a graduate of the Air War College.
Board Vice President
Keith Foley
Founder & CEO, First Services Group LLC (SDVOSB)
A U.S. Army veteran with over 30 years supporting Department of War and Veterans programs, Keith is the driving force behind First Services Group. A service-disabled veteran, he founded FSG to carry forward the legacy of the First Special Service Force on Montana land steeped in military heritage. He sets the strategic vision for the company and oversees all training operations and partnership development.
Board Treasurer
Samantha Yearry
Chief Operating Officer, First Services Group LLC (SDVOSB)
Samantha oversees the day-to-day operations of First Services Group, ensuring training programs run with precision and efficiency. She manages logistics, scheduling, facility operations, and organizational processes that keep FSG mission-ready year-round.
Directors
Scott Abplanalp
Program Manager, Civil-Military Innovation Institute
Justin Armer
Founder, Thin Air Systems
Mary Craigle
Deputy Director, Montana Department of Commerce
Michael Ty Fischer
Retired Special Forces; SOF training
Eric Johnson
Product Line Manager, CACI; U.S. Army veteran
Ray Rogers
Founder & CEO, Praxis Center and the National Center for Health Care Informatics
Bill Waldron
Retired Special Forces
Curtis Yarn
Mission Defense Expert, Booz Allen Hamilton; Special Forces veteran
SDVOSB: service-disabled veteran-owned small business.
One point of contact for the whole event
As a nonprofit, we work transparently while reducing risk and cost for the teams we support.
We work with the State of Montana, the Department of War (DoW), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), industry, and academia to bring emerging capabilities to the warfighter, with close collaboration and oversight. We are not limited to one location or one range. We coordinate across defense stakeholders and training locations statewide, using FAA-authorized COA airspace and more than 5 million acres of public and private land, so industry engagement, demonstrations, and training support happen in the place and at the time that best fit the mission.
- Scheduling & coordination
- We schedule training events with industry participation across Montana, not only at the Guard training area. We deconflict with defense partners and align with the Montana National Guard (MTNG) calendar.
- Vetting
- We vet participants and activities, assess risk, and review compliance before anything is scheduled.
- Resourcing & oversight
- We allocate staffing and facilities, then oversee the event with a designated officer in charge (OIC) and range safety officer (RSO) coordinating with us and MTNG.
- Insurance & liability
- We make sure insurance, liability coverage, and an industry use agreement are in place before the event.
- Reporting
- We handle close-out, verify cleanup and restoration, and report monthly to MTNG.
Four strategic pillars
The strategic plan organizes the campus's work around four commitments.
Defense technology development
Enable rapid prototyping and testing of emerging defense systems at technology readiness levels (TRL) 3–8. Bring National Guard, DoW, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and service lab programs together for operational experimentation.
Innovation & entrepreneurship
Support dual-use, defense-aligned ventures with commercialization and financing coaching, investor networking, and intellectual property guidance. Create shared manufacturing and prototyping facilities.
Workforce & community development
Partner with local schools and colleges on skilled-trades training, apprenticeships, and fellowships. Prioritize local suppliers and vendors to strengthen Montana’s economy.
Nonprofit & public benefit
Pursue grants for nonprofit research and development in agriculture, natural resources, defense, and disaster response. Coordinate with other nonprofit partners and host open-access educational events and public innovation forums.
Built for Townsend, not just near it
Townsend has fewer than 2,500 residents. Its economy runs mainly on agriculture, local services and hospitality, tourism, construction, and utilities. The campus is meant to add to that base and reinforce the businesses already here.
- Local procurement
- We plan to prioritize local contractors, trades, and suppliers for campus infrastructure projects.
- Jobs in construction and operations
- Build-out and operations create direct jobs in construction, operations, and maintenance, with indirect demand for food service, housing, logistics, and retail.
- Education & workforce pathways
- Partnerships with local schools to offer STEM pathways, apprenticeships, and internships.
- Keeping young people here
- High-skill job options that help reduce the outmigration of young people.
- Rural resilience
- Steady technology-driven employment helps stabilize a local economy exposed to agricultural seasonality.
- Hospitality demand
- Training events, conferences, and innovation events bring demand for lodging, short-term housing, and catering.
- Agri-tech and dual-use
- Sensor networks, robotics, and energy work from campus research could also serve local agriculture.
How we're run
Governed as a nonprofit, with revenue reinvested in the campus and the community.
- Transparent reinvestment
- We reinvest revenue transparently into research and development, infrastructure, and workforce programs that benefit the local community.
- Lower risk and cost for customers
- As a nonprofit, we work in the open and aim to reduce both the risk and the cost of testing and training for the teams we support.
- Neutral facilitation
- We facilitate partnerships between stakeholders who may compete with one another, without favoring any of them.
- Accountability
- We measure ourselves by public and defense innovation outcomes.
- Representative board
- The board is intended to include representation for all participant communities.
Who the campus is for
The partnership ecosystem the campus is designed to bring together.
- Defense & government
- Organizations such as the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), defense programs, Montana National Guard innovation cells, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and State of Montana agencies.
- Academia
- State universities and colleges with a research presence on innovation campuses, plus trade schools.
- Industry
- Montana Headwaters Tech Hub, defense prime contractors, defense system integrators, and military-related small businesses and startups.
- Nonprofits
- Veteran organizations, industry associations, and state and local economic development groups.
- Community
- Local workforce and vocational programs, STEM education programs, and infrastructure development programs.
Track record
Our team has supported site evaluations, joint training, airspace coordination, and special operations training events in Montana.
Site evaluation
Anduril Industries site evaluation support
Provided site evaluation support in Montana for a defense technology company.
Joint training
CMI2 Pathfinder joint training support
Supported joint training for CMI2 Pathfinder.
Planning
Montana Spaceport integration planning
Supported integration planning with Montana Spaceport & Test Range.
Airspace
Statewide FAA COA and BVLOS corridor coordination
Coordinated FAA certificate of authorization (COA) and beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) corridor operations across Montana.
Training
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) training events
Supported numerous training events for SOCOM training elements.
Key partners
Veteran-led training companies, a statewide space test range, and research institutions working alongside the campus.
Primis Strategics
Helena-based, service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) providing aerospace and defense advisory: mission integration, airspace and UAS integration, and critical-infrastructure resilience. Led by Brig. Gen. Jamie Wilkins (Ret.), MIC Board President.
primisstrategics.com (opens in a new tab)
First Services GroupSDVOSB training company on a Montana ranch with access to millions of acres of public land. Advanced operations, UAS, and electronic warfare training in the legacy of the First Special Service Force. Led by Keith Foley, CEO and MIC Board Vice President.
fsg-mt.com (opens in a new tab)Montana Spaceport & Test Range
Distributed space technology test range across Montana for launch, hypersonics, and UAS/UAV programs.
montanaspaceport.com (opens in a new tab)
Also working with
- LeidosIndustry
- AndurilIndustry
- Montana State University – MilTechAcademia
- Army Research Laboratory (ARL)Defense
- Praxis Simulation Center – Butte, MTIndustry
- ISAR Services (SDVOSB)Veteran-owned
SDVOSB: service-disabled veteran-owned small business.
Work with us
Whether you need a range next quarter or want to help build the campus, start with a conversation.