# Defense Hackathon Act of 2024

The Department of Defense wants to organize regular "hackathons"—intensive problem-solving events where tech experts collaborate to quickly develop software and hardware solutions to military challenges. This bill requires the Pentagon to officially establish and run this program, making it a structured, ongoing initiative rather than something done sporadically.

Here's what would actually happen: Starting within six months of the bill passing, the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer would set up a formal hackathon program. Military commanders and department leaders would be required to host at least four hackathons per year, with different commanders rotating as hosts each year. These events would bring together software developers, data scientists, engineers, and other tech specialists from across the military to tackle specific technical problems that a particular military branch or command is facing. For example, one hackathon might focus on improving cybersecurity systems, while another addresses data analysis challenges. Participants would get travel allowances to attend, and hosts would have to report on what was accomplished within 60 days of each event.

The real goal here is to speed up how the military solves technical problems. Instead of waiting months or years for traditional development processes, hackathons compress that timeline into days or weeks of focused collaboration. The bill also aims to spread innovation across different parts of the military by having various commands host events and share what they learn. Military leaders could also voluntarily host additional hackathons beyond the required four per year if they want to tackle more problems. For taxpayers and military personnel, this means the Pentagon is trying to become more agile and efficient at developing tech solutions, potentially saving time and money while improving military capabilities.