Complete Defense Solutions acquires American companies that already build what the U.S. military needs. Here are the criteria we use, and the financing problem we help solve once a company joins us.
Complete Defense Solutions, or CDS, is the defense acquisition arm of Complete Financial Solutions. Our job is straightforward to describe and hard to do well: find established American companies that already build mission-critical products and services for the U.S. defense and security community, and help them grow faster as part of a public company.
We don't start companies. We buy builders.
Answering the call for an Arsenal of Freedom
The timing for American defense builders has rarely been stronger. In November 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled the Department of War's Acquisition Transformation Strategy, whose first pillar he called the "Arsenal of Freedom." The strategy calls for the department to put "the entire acquisition system and the industrial base on a wartime footing," and, as summarized by industry analysts, to get more companies building military equipment and make it easier for new ones to join in.
"We are committed to dominating the modern battlefield," Secretary Hegseth said, "and that domination starts with a wartime industrial base focused on execution and operational success."
The department has followed through with action, including new framework agreements with new entrants and commercial innovators to expand the military's strike capabilities. For capable American companies, that is a clear invitation to grow.
What we look for
Every acquisition is different, but the companies we pursue tend to share a common profile:
- U.S.-based and U.S.-operated. Our focus is American national security, and that starts with where the work gets done.
- Established revenue. We look for companies with roughly $25 million in annual revenue on the low end, preferably $50 million, up to about $500 million.
- Healthy margins. We target companies operating at roughly 10% to 20% margins. That tells us the business is disciplined and the product is valued.
- Mission relevance. The company serves the U.S. military, the defense supply chain or U.S. law enforcement, with products or services that matter to readiness.
- Room to grow. The best candidates have more demand than they can currently fund. That gap is where we can help most.
The contract-financing challenge
That last point deserves a closer look, because it is the challenge we hear about most from defense company owners.
Winning a government contract is a milestone, but it rarely comes with cash up front. To perform, a company has to buy materials, hire and train people, and often expand its facilities, all before it gets paid. Many fund that gap with expensive borrowing, and interest costs and financing fees can take a bite out of the margin.
How joining CDS changes the math
When a company joins CDS, it becomes part of Complete Financial Solutions, a U.S. public company. That opens access to more cost-effective capital through the public markets, institutional funding groups and the more than a dozen investment bankers in our syndicate network.
The owners and teams keep doing what they do best: building the product and delivering on the contract, ready to scale as the Department of War expands its industrial base.
A different path than going it alone
Many owners we talk to have been told their next step is an IPO. For most mid-sized defense companies today, that path is long, expensive and uncertain. Rolling up under a public parent offers a shorter route to the same goal: the capital to grow, without spending years and millions preparing for a listing that may never happen.
Let's talk
If you lead an American defense company that fits this profile, we would like to hear from you. Contact us through completefin.com and let's discuss whether Complete Defense Solutions is the right fit.
Sources
- U.S. Department of War, "Remarks by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the Arsenal of Freedom (As Delivered)," war.gov
- U.S. Department of War, "Rebuilding the Arsenal of Freedom: Acquisition Transformation Strategy," November 2025, defense.gov
- U.S. Department of War, "Department of War Enhances Lethal Strike Capacity Through Partnership With New Entrants," war.gov
- Federal News Network, "Hegseth unveils 'transformation' of DoD acquisition system," November 2025, federalnewsnetwork.com
- CSIS, "Putting the Industrial Base on a Wartime Footing," csis.org
Forward-looking statements: This article contains forward-looking statements about Complete Defense Solutions' acquisition strategy and access to capital. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. No acquisition or financing is assured. References to third-party sources do not imply any relationship with or endorsement by those organizations.
Source filing: This article references Complete Financial Solutions' business strategy as disclosed in our Q1 2026 Quarterly Report (filed May 20, 2026). From the report's Subsequent Events section:
"On or about May 15, 2026 the Company's Board unanimously approved the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be used for Private debt financing of the TitanForge Defense project. The SPV is capped at a maximum fund raise of Fifteen (15) Billion U.S. Dollars."