The decision to headquarter Forge & Flight Holdings in Fayetteville, North Carolina was not made because the rent is reasonable — though it is. It was made because Fort Bragg is one of the most active defense procurement ecosystems in the country for small businesses, and operating within it creates advantages that cannot be replicated from a distance.
The Fort Bragg Procurement Ecosystem
Fort Bragg is home to a concentration of defense organizations that few installations match:
- 82nd Airborne Division — 18th Airborne Corps
- United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
- 1st Special Forces Command
- 75th Ranger Regiment
- Pope Field — 435th Air Ground Operations Wing
- Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC-Fort Bragg) — 419th Contracting Support Brigade
MICC-Fort Bragg awards approximately $1 billion annually in contracts. A significant portion of that volume falls at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold — the $350,000 ceiling where FAR Part 13 procedures apply, timelines compress, and mandatory small business set-asides make competition structurally favorable for qualified small businesses.
USASOC hosts monthly small business capability briefings — structured opportunities for small vendors to present directly to acquisition personnel before requirements are formally posted. The North Carolina Military Business Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College has helped NC businesses win over $18.6 billion in federal contracts historically.
This is not ambient opportunity. It is a structured acquisition environment with deliberate small business engagement programs.
What Proximity Actually Changes
Physical presence in the Fort Bragg ecosystem changes three things that matter for defense small businesses:
Speed to relationship. In defense contracting, relationships with program managers, contracting officers, and end users precede contracts — often by years. Being local means capability briefings are not a travel budget item. Follow-up meetings happen in days, not weeks. When requirements emerge, you are already known.
Understanding the mission. Forge & Flight was founded by Army Special Operations veterans who spent careers in and around Fort Bragg. The Fayetteville ecosystem is not foreign territory to learn — it is home. That familiarity translates into products and services that reflect how the end user actually operates, not how a vendor imagines they do from a distance.
Responding to requirements at installation speed. Federal Services Division contracts at or below the SAT can move from requirement identification to award in 30-60 days under simplified acquisition. A vendor who can show up for a same-week meeting and submit a responsive quote within 48 hours competes differently than one managing from a remote office.
The USASOC Small Business Window
USASOC in particular represents a significant opportunity for defense technology companies in the UAS and counter-UAS space. Special Operations requirements for small, capable, NDAA-compliant UAS platforms and software have grown substantially as the FY27 budget outlook shifts toward distributed, low-signature ISR.
The USASOC small business engagement program is one of the most accessible in the Army. Capability briefings are open to registered vendors with active SAM registrations. The contracting office responds to capability statements submitted through formal channels.
For small defense technology companies with relevant NAICS codes, an active SAM registration, and a real capability to present — Fort Bragg is the right place to start building past performance.
Forge & Flight Federal Services Division
Our Federal Services Division operates under Holdings CAGE 18WR3 specifically to pursue SAT-zone contracts across professional services, IT, logistics, and aerospace-adjacent support within the Fort Bragg ecosystem. Three employed personnel hold Top Secret clearances. A cleared bench of five additional personnel can be activated on contract award.
If you are a contracting officer or program manager with a requirement in our capability areas, we are registered, credentialed, and local.
View Federal Services capabilities → · Contact Federal Services →