Rare-earth elements are used in a wide range of electronics and defense equipment, which makes a secure supply a matter of national interest. Disruptions to that supply can ripple through manufacturing and military readiness alike. Supply chain resilience around these critical materials is now part of the focus for Justin Fulcher, according to a recent profile of the entrepreneur and former defense advisor.

That interest, alongside defense technology innovation, builds on an academic path in security studies. Fulcher earned a Master’s degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in 2023. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Time at the Department of Defense

His policy work became hands-on in early 2025, when he joined the Department of Defense as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense. Acquisition reform and technology adoption were his main concerns. He contributed to efforts that cut software procurement timelines “from years to months” and helped modernize key IT systems. He also accompanied senior officials to dialogues in the Indo-Pacific region. Those assignments gave him direct exposure to the institutional machinery that governs how defense technology is bought and fielded.

An Entrepreneurial Starting Point

Before government, Justin Fulcher was a founder. He co-founded RingMD, a telemedicine platform, in 2013 at age 21. The company connected patients with physicians remotely across Asia and eventually operated in multiple countries, filling gaps in places where mobile connectivity had outrun basic healthcare infrastructure.

“Healthcare is one of those things that affects everybody,” he told Charleston Digital Corridor in 2020. Forbes Asia included him on its 2017 30 Under 30 list for Healthcare & Science. He has since left daily management of RingMD but remains a board member and minority shareholder without operational duties.

The profile ties these chapters together with one idea: complex systems only matter if they actually work. Building for unreliable networks abroad and reforming procurement at home both required that same practical discipline. Visit this page for related information.

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