In January, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) handpicked 15 coders from various branches of the Department of Defense to participate in SANDTRAP, a “critical mission” hackathon. This event addressed data and software challenges related to countering one-way unmanned aerial systems (cUAS), a mission crucial for safeguarding U.S. and partner forces in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility. SANDTRAP was hosted as a special segment within the BRAVO series, a recurring hackathon conducted across the Department of Defense (DoD).
Throughout the week-long hackathon, the coders worked on developing prototypes to enhance the speed and accuracy of cUAS operations. By bringing coders to CENTCOM headquarters, subject matter experts could seamlessly collaborate with the hacking teams, facilitating the integration of innovative solutions and paving the way for the transition of capabilities emerging from the hackathon.
“For mission sets as critical as countering one-way UAS attacks, U.S. Central Command is committed to leveraging every talented individual, technical solution, and innovative process available. The SANDTRAP hackathon combined all three: exceptional coders, brilliant software prototypes, and a repeatable process that can give us creative solutions in the future. The Command will continue to hold hackathon events going forward that will help us get after our most critical operational problem sets,” said Schuyler Moore, Chief Technology Officer at CENTCOM.
“Our strategic approach–summarized by ‘People, Partners, and Innovation,’ is successful when we give team members a chance to bring new and creative solutions to the table,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM Commander. “The SANDTRAP hackathon provided that opportunity, and future hackathons will drive better solutions to critical missions and advance data-centric warfighting for the Command.”
Post Image Credit: envatoelements by przemekklos