Wharton Aerospace Ventures - Community

​America finds itself at a particularly fraught geopolitical juncture.

​Technological change, at an increasing pace at that,  is surfacing new layers of complexity and risk that we, heretofore, took for granted.  Covid era surfaced supply chain challenges; these days, the tariff war and trade agreements further highlight the cracks.  Whereas America has innovation in spades, its capacity to scale that innovation is scant, in many ways held hostage by our greatest near peer competitor China.

​China has moved beyond simply chasing American innovation. It is pursuing a different theory of power, one that places production, scale, and control of critical inputs at the center of its national strategy. China has recognized to a greater degree that controlling lower level supply chain inputs controls production scale up and capacity.  Our innovation capacity has suffered along with manufacturing moving offshore.

​But America is a quick study.  Increasingly Congress is calling for and approving budget allocation to shore up our weakened capabilities in the sourcing and processing of raw materials, rare earths and the lowest levels of supply chains.   But, public capital is insufficient.  America’s innovation and economic prowess is unmatched; we need to tap into these strengths and harness private capital as only the American system can.

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