The Department of War (DoW) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) today announced the launch of LYNX, a new digital platform designed to help businesses enter, navigate, and compete more effectively in defense markets by improving supplier readiness and visibility across the defense industrial base.
Registration for the platform is now open at https://www.lynxconnect.io. Businesses begin by creating a company profile and completing an initial assessment that establishes a readiness baseline and identifies next steps toward mission-aligned opportunities.
“LYNX turns readiness into action,” said Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy. “It’s designed to help companies present their capabilities clearly, prioritize the right steps, and move toward mission-aligned opportunities with greater speed and confidence.”
LYNX is aimed at new entrants, small businesses, non-traditional suppliers, and growing defense contractors that possess strong technical capabilities but often struggle to navigate defense requirements, readiness standards, and partner discovery. Department officials said the platform addresses a common challenge for innovative firms: not a lack of capability, but uncertainty about how to translate that capability into credible participation in defense programs.
The platform is designed as a comprehensive suite that supports businesses through the complexities of government contracting while also benefiting the Department by improving visibility into supplier readiness and reducing fragmented pathways to engagement. By creating a shared environment, LYNX enables companies to demonstrate readiness in a consistent framework while allowing DoW officials to more effectively identify, assess, and engage suppliers aligned with priority mission and technology needs.
“LYNX reflects OSBP’s commitment to reducing barriers to entry and expanding participation across the defense industrial base,” said James Mismash, Director of Small Business Programs. “By providing a common framework for readiness and capability, LYNX supports faster engagement, smarter collaboration, and more resilient supplier growth.”
Through the platform, companies can assess readiness across key dimensions, present their capabilities to potential partners, and receive Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning–informed roadmaps that help focus investment on actions most likely to advance defense participation. The platform also enhances discovery and connection, enabling more precise partner matching and opportunity alignment tied to mission and technology priorities.
The Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy works with domestic and international partners to build and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base in support of the warfighter, now and in the future. The Office of Small Business Programs plays a central role in that effort by expanding small business participation in defense acquisition, reducing barriers, accelerating pathways, and connecting companies with mission needs.
Department officials said LYNX represents a significant step toward broadening and strengthening the defense industrial base by making readiness clearer, pathways simpler, and engagement faster for businesses of all sizes.