Formation of the Fortress Alliance in Support of the U.S. Army Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD Contract
- Katie Bigelow
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Madison Heights, MI - 1/15/26. Mettle Ops is proud to announce the formation of the Fortress Alliance in support of the U.S. Army Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD contract.
The Fortress Alliance is a mission-aligned consortium of specialized companies formed to
support the U.S. Army Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD program, with a focus on rapid integration, operational relevance, and delivery of layered defense capabilities.
“SHIELD isn’t about isolated technologies — it’s about trusted integration across sensing, data, propulsion, autonomy, and secure networks,” said Katie Bigelow, CEO of Mettle Ops.
“The Fortress Alliance was intentionally built to bring together specialized, mission-aligned companies that can move quickly from concept to execution while maintaining the rigor and reliability the Army requires.”
Led by Mettle Ops, the Fortress Alliance brings together a focused team of innovators to support the Army’s Strategic Homeland Integrated Ecosystem for Layered Defense (SHIELD) mission, including Longshot Space Technologies, Celestus, Innodata, BlueRidge Networks, STC, Edge Case, and Velontra.
We look forward to engaging with the U.S. Army, Missile Defense Agency, and joint stakeholders through upcoming technical exchanges, industry days, and task-order opportunities.
Let’s chat if you and your company would like to learn more about Mettle Ops and our role in the Fortress Alliance!
