First BRAVO hackathon to be held inside combatant command

The Defense Department announced today that it will host a "multiclassification hackathon" Feb. 5-9, using Indo-Pacific operational theater data to find solutions to combatant command challenges, marking the first time a hackathon will be held inside a COCOM.

The hackathon, an event technology companies commonly use to develop prototypes that can tackle enterprise hurdles linked with data, will occur at one of the DOD AI Battle Labs in Oahu, HI, and is working in collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Army Pacific Command and the Air Force.

The Air Force started organizing these events, known as BRAVO hackathons, in 2021 in attempts to use classified operational data to advance learning and capability development. This hackathon, called the BRAVO 11 Bits2Effects, will be the fourth BRAVO hackathon overall.

DOD announced their plans to form AI battlelabs in September, highlighting that hackathons hosted at the labs will help develop and strengthen the military’s artificial intelligence capabilities.

The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office will host the BRAVO 11 Bits2Effects hackathon in an effort to allow innovators the space and ability to develop and use “data-driven effects during competition and conflict,” according to a DOD press release.

According to the release, past hackathons have influenced DOD programs in areas like “large language models, space launch, flight telemetry and biometrics, unmanned systems, personnel recovery, security classification, sensing and targeting and battle damage assessment.”

People who want to participate in the hackathon may apply to be a “hacker,” a “hacker subject matter expert” or a “supporter.”

Applicants for “hacker” can have a wide range of experience, including “operational and warfighter expertise, software development, data science, machine learning, design and user interface/user design, data visualization and product management,” according to the release.

For the “hacker subject matter expert” role, applicants should be government employees or government contractors who have experience leading one or more teams through a use case or dataset.

Applicants interested in the “supporter” role should be government employees or government contractors with administrative support experience who can help the event by running security, assisting supplies delivery, putting social events together, organizing attendee check-in and delivering science fair materials, according to the press release.