The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) celebrated significant funding growth in FY2023 for small businesses, as announced during a Q4 2023 industry summit. The event, attended by small businesses and key stakeholders, witnessed the AFRL Small Business Office achieving a record with total small business awards amounting to $2.12 billion. Notably, Small, Disadvantaged Businesses received $546 million, constituting 11.72% of the total awards. The AFRL also highlighted records set by Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses ($123 million), Women-Owned Small Businesses ($329 million), and HUBZone businesses ($34 million). The HUBZone program, promoting growth in underutilized business zones, aligns with the US Small Business Administration's goal of 3% federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies, while the AFRL's success focuses on global supply chain resilience amid Ukraine crisis.