On November 23-24, 2024, the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in California served as the venue for the Defense Tech Hackathon. This event aimed to tackle pressing national defense challenges while supporting Ukraine in its struggle for freedom. The hackathon attracted more than 700 participants, including hackers, investors, founders, and military leaders, working to devise innovative solutions for defense and national security challenges, particularly those impacting Ukraine. The tasks were formulated based on requests from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, ensuring practical application. The event was widely covered, with reports published by Militarnyi.

The Defense Tech Hackathon was organized by leading industry figures, most notably Victoria Tech, co-founded by Ukrainian entrepreneurs Nazar Gulyk and Artur Kiulian. It assembled a diverse mix of participants from the tech and defense sectors, including the Centre of Innovations and Defence Technologies Development of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Brave1 cluster, Naval Special Warfare, MIT Lincoln Labs, and others. The origins of the event stem from the desire to merge technological innovation with defense needs, creating usable developments for real-world applications. Tasks addressed areas like autonomy, counter-UAS, communications, and intelligence. By the end of the two-day event

ملخص الأخبار

• شارك في الهاكاثون أكثر من 400 هاكر وأكثر من 50 مستثمرًا وقادة عسكريون لتطوير حلول دفاعية مبتكرة.
• تضمن الحدث تقديم 37 مشروعًا، واختيار 11 مشروعًا للتصفيات النهائية وتوزيع جوائز نقدية ومجموعات ستارلينك.
• ركزت المهام على مجالات مثل التنقل والتواصل والاستخبارات، مع أدوات ذكاء اصطناعي للكشف عن التهديدات في الوقت الفعلي.
• أبرز المشاركون الحاجة إلى سد الفجوة بين المهندسين الأمريكيين وأصحاب المصلحة الأوكرانيين لتعزيز التعاون الدفاعي.