Former congressman and Marine Corps intelligence officer Mike Gallagher serves as the inaugural chairman of the Midwest Defense Forum.  He is also head of defense at Palantir Technologies.  These positions enable Dr. Gallagher to heighten the use of technology to help America gain a competitive advantage on the battlefield and strengthen the upper Midwest economy by growing the defense tech sector.

Congressman Gallagher served as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 8th District from 2017 to 2024, where he was known for his leadership in critical areas of cybersecurity and international policy, particularly regarding strategic competition with global powers. As the founding chairman of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, he led significant legislative and investigative efforts to secure American interests.  As chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Innovation Policy, he led efforts to help the Defense Department leverage new technologies.