Critical Materials Group

Critical Materials Group (CMG) is building the next generation of energetics manufacturing processes and facilities.

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

CMG is proud to welcome Raymond Lunbeck and Jacob Dillon as Explosive Operators, and Casey Flores as Senior Production Controller.

Raymond is a retired U.S. Air Force EOD Technician with 21 years of military service, followed by more than 12 years deployed as an EOD contractor in Afghanistan and Iraq. Jacob is an Army EOD veteran with over 12 years of experience as an EOD Team Leader, Platoon Sergeant, and Senior Technical Intelligence Analyst, with three combat deployments and international EOD training experience across multiple countries. Casey brings more than 15 years of operations experience across electrical, automation, and industrial construction, with deep expertise in ERP systems, inventory management, and production planning.

Together they bring the technical, operational, and mission-driven experience that CMG’s work demands.

If you're interested in joining our team, apply today. https://t.co/ep5CyhxpLd

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Meet David Ho, our Senior Program Manager.

David joins CMG after recently retiring from a 20-year career in acquisitions with the US Air Force, where he served in various engineering and program management roles to support the USAF Test Pilot School, USSOCOM and AFSOC, National Reconnaissance Office, US Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency.

At CMG, David will be able to work with a great team delivering on a critical mission focused on capabilities our warfighters need at home and abroad.

We're currently hiring for nearly two dozen roles. View our open positions and apply today. https://t.co/ep5CyhxXAL

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

@CBSNews recently reported on the state of U.S. missile defense munitions stockpiles and the years-long timeline it will take to rebuild them. The article traces the challenge to decades of industrial base consolidation that optimized for peacetime efficiency over surge capacity.

Rebuilding that capacity takes sustained investment and new suppliers ready to deliver. That’s the environment CMG is building in.

Fill the arsenal.

https://t.co/wLvZ69HJyh

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Meet Travis Swanson, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Critical Materials Group.

Travis co-founded CMG while already leading Rocky Mountain Scientific Laboratory, a national security research and rapid solutions laboratory for military and law enforcement agencies. With CMG’s recent acquisition of RMSL, he now brings both organizations together under one roof, uniting energetics research, formulation, and testing with CMG’s modular, automation-ready manufacturing platforms.

We’re glad to have Travis onboard. Fill the arsenal.

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Meet Sam Blais, our Chief of Staff.

Sam brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to Critical Materials Group, spanning Special Operations, defense technology, and rapid capability delivery. Her experience with urgent-needs acquisition, R&D, technology fielding, and executive-level communications will play a crucial role in helping us strengthen operations, align stakeholders, and scale our energetics manufacturing company.

CMG is hiring for nearly two dozen roles. View our open positions and apply today. https://t.co/ep5CyhxXAL

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

A recent piece in @smallwars argues that the defense industrial base doesn’t begin at the weapons factory. It reaches back to the refinery, the mine, and every link in the supply chain that feeds them, and trusted control at each stage matters as much as domestic location.

Energetics are one of those foundational links and one of the most critical. Without a trusted, domestic source of explosive materials, nothing downstream works. That’s the gap CMG exists to fill.

https://t.co/co0Zmcn7LB

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Zac Whitt and Jason Jouet will be in Washington, D.C. for @AUSAorg's Annual Meeting.

We're looking forward to connecting with military leaders, industry innovators, policymakers, and international delegations and discussing the future of national security.

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Critical Materials Group has been named in the first annual Austin Deep Tech 50, selected by @overmatchvc, Valor, @8vc, Banner VC, @BCapitalGroup, @TheAmbitionCap, @ensemblevc, and Trust Ventures.

We're honored to be recognized for our mission of modernizing energetics production facilities critical to national security right here in Austin, Texas, one of the most important defense tech hubs in the country. https://t.co/ruAidpg5VL

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Critical Materials Group (CMG) has acquired Rocky Mountain Scientific Laboratory (RMSL) and appointed Travis Swanson, who co-founded CMG while already leading RMSL, as our Chief Science Officer.

New energetic materials frequently stall between the laboratory and the factory floor. Bringing RMSL's research and development work together with CMG's manufacturing platforms puts both sides of that problem under one roof, shortening the path from concept to qualified production and adding domestic capacity where it's needed most.

Read our press release to learn more. https://t.co/R4qdM8bK1q

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Meet Brett Bauman, our Government Relations Manager.

Prior to joining Critical Materials Group, Brett was a Legislative Assistant to Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, where he directed the Senator’s defense, foreign relations, and veterans affairs policy portfolio. His experience will play a crucial role in helping us build our government relations infrastructure and deepen our engagement with the legislative and policy environment that shapes the defense tech industry.

If you're interested in joining our team, check out our open positions. https://t.co/ep5CyhxpLd

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Former Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll recently wrote an article for @ForeignAffairs that shares how the United States and its allies must scale together for a new era of war, and that starts with the physical foundation of the defense ecosystem.

As he explains, dispersed manufacturing facilities across an alliance with redundant supply chains matter more than ever. Securing resilient mineral processing, energy infrastructure, and steady production of munitions is crucial for deterrence.

That's exactly what CMG is building toward: resilient, domestic energetics production that strengthens the physical foundation the entire allied defense ecosystem depends on. https://t.co/B44ZBOVtVU

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Why is the United States low on munitions? A recent @CSIS analysis identifies time as one of the biggest challenges.

Current deliveries reflect funding from before FY 2024. With production timelines of two to four years from contract to delivery, the window of vulnerability is open. Sustained commitment to expanding domestic production capacity, not just a few years of frenzied buying, is what closes it.

That's what we're building toward at Critical Materials Group: resilient, scalable domestic energetics production that contributes to a fuller, more ready arsenal for the long term. https://t.co/xSVUTdqhXh

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

We're proud to welcome Noah Fisher as Director of Supply Chain and Cole Paxton as Junior Operations Specialist to Critical Materials Group.

Prior to joining CMG, Noah was an early member of the leadership team at Mach Industries, where he served as Head of Purchasing and helped build the company’s supply chain and operations through a period of significant growth. He brings an extensive background in defense and advanced manufacturing, and at CMG, he'll focus on building our supply chain functions from the ground up and scaling them alongside production.

As Junior Operations Specialist, Cole plays a crucial role in supporting our day-to-day site operations with a focus on operational readiness, safety, logistics, and the coordination of resources needed to support our mission.

CMG is growing quickly, and we're actively looking for talented people who care about this mission and want to join our team. View all of our open positions here. https://t.co/ep5CyhxpLd

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Following our Seed round, Critical Materials Group is hiring for nearly 20 roles across executive, government, growth, legal, operations, production, and programs.

A few of our open positions include:

- Director of Operations
- Safety and Compliance Officer
- HMX Production Engineer
- Senior RDX Project Engineer

If you're passionate about eliminating single points of failure in military-grade explosive materials supply, we'd love to hear from you. Apply for any of our roles today: https://t.co/ep5CyhxpLd

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

The @usairforce recently announced it intends to field roughly 1,000 autonomous combat aircraft by 2032, with the CCA program going from contract to first flight in 18 months or less.

More autonomous systems means more demand for the energetic materials inside every payload they carry. As the Air Force scales its unmanned fleet, the supply chain behind it has to scale too.

Critical Materials Group is building the domestic energetics production capacity to meet that demand.

https://t.co/NZz5Ptxe1D

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Critical Materials Group Co-Founder & CEO Kevin Capozzoli recently joined @Madeline_Zimm on @FirstBreakfast to talk about the moment he realized the depth of the vulnerability in U.S. energetics production and why he couldn't walk away from it.

He shares how he went from seeing the problem from the commercial side to connecting with co-founder Travis Swanson and ultimately building CMG to address this gap with an unmet need across defense, commercial, and space applications.

Listen to the full episode here. https://t.co/tfrkvEc8Xi

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

The munitions industrial base has a production problem, and closing that gap requires more firms and more capacity.

NDIA President and CEO David Norquist laid out the challenge clearly in a recent interview on the Federal Drive podcast by the @FederalNewsNet: the consumption rates seen in recent conflicts far exceed what a peacetime industrial base was built to sustain, and the answer isn't just more money. It's more manufacturers, better contracting structures, and private capital willing to invest in scale.

https://t.co/ahZaMMa09n

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

After leaving the Army, Critical Materials Group CEO & Co-Founder Kevin Capozzoli had a goal to build a great company that solved a real problem.

He joined the @vetsospodcast perations Startup podcast to share his journey with co-founding CMG, diving into what drives veteran entrepreneurs: the intrapreneurship developed in uniform, the risk tolerance built through years of high-stakes decisions, and the measured approach to making the leap from military service to building something from scratch.

Watch the episode here. https://t.co/LiV5ewY5tU

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

Our $10.3 million Seed round accelerates the development and commissioning of our modular energetics production platform.

From RDX and HMX production starting from raw chemicals through to load, assemble, and pack for defense applications, the platform is designed to take energetics the full distance from molecule to munition.

Read more in this @JanesINTEL article by Jeremiah Cushman. https://t.co/VuzrzkD61X

[Critical Materials Group @critmatgroup]

On this 25th anniversary of 9/11, we remember the lives lost and honor the sacrifices of many.

Never forget.