Navigating the U.S. Defense Market: Key Lessons from Matt Hyatt, Crossed Arrows Global Partners

Matt Hyatt spent 24 years in the U.S. Army, the majority in special operations, before co-founding Crossed Arrows Global Partners to help Israeli defense tech companies enter the U.S. market. His core message is simple: the U.S. defense market is not a market. It is an institution, and companies that treat it like one get burned.

Interest is not adoption. Operators getting excited at a demo, retired generals offering encouraging feedback, a unit asking follow-up questions — none of that means the system is moving. Decisions are driven by budget authority, organizational ownership, and integration requirements, not by how impressive the technology is.

Credibility does not reset. In tight communities like special operations, first impressions stick. A company that engages before it understands the problem or the operating environment earns a reputation that follows it even after the product improves. Getting back in the room after a poor first engagement is genuinely difficult.

Know who owns the problem. Not everyone giving you feedback has the authority to say yes. The people who matter are aligned to funding, responsible for the capability gap, and positioned to move an acquisition forward. Operator enthusiasm without a real decision maker behind it does not lead anywhere.

Get aligned before you get visible. Confirm someone owns the problem, confirm there is a realistic path to adoption, and only then pursue demos and direct engagement. Companies that flip that sequence stall out.

Timing is a competitive advantage. U.S. defense budgets are forecasted two to three years out. Understanding where a capability fits in that cycle is as important as the technology itself.

The bottom line, in Hyatt’s own words: do not confuse activity with progress.