Official Appointed To Lead State's Efforts To Commercialize Defense Technology

Gretchen Frazee

The Indiana lieutenant governor today appointed an official from Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane to lead the state’s efforts to commercialize defense technology.

John Dement is being named the Indiana Office of Defense Development’s director of technology commercialization.

His main job will be to take the innovations produced in the laboratory setting at Crane and aid in their development and sale to commercial markets.

Technology used in military guns, for example, can be altered and sold to commercial gun manufacturers that produce guns for deer hunting.

It’s what Dement calls “tech transfer.”

“We’ve been doing it at Crane with national prominence,” Dement said. “Now we’re trying to take it out across the state and create a new model that is a much more repeatable process.”

Indiana Office of Defense Development officials say they hope commercializing new technologies will help boost Indiana’s economy.

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