Critical Ops: A DC National Security Hackathon

Building for National Security Starts Here Join 100+ engineers, builders, and operators for the DC National Security Hackathon on April 17–19, 2026 in the nations capital. Full website: http://dcnatsechackathon.com/ Goal Bring together builders, government stakeholders, and investors to work on real-world national security challenges. This is about moving from ideas to prototypes to real deployment pathways. What You’ll Do Work on problem sets sourced from operators across: 🚁 Autonomy & Counter-UAS 📦 Contested Logistics 🛡 Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure 🧬 Biotechnology 🤖 AI Agents Build anything from software and AI systems to hardware-enabled solutions. What You’ll Get Access to frontier AI tools & Datasets (OpenAI, Meta, and ElevenLabs) Direct feedback from operators and domain experts A high-signal community of builders Exposure to venture capital and national security leaders Demo Day Curious what gets built? Join us on Sunday for live demos and judging. Agenda Friday, April 17, 2026 Kick-off Day 15:00 - 16:30 - Post-Conference Reception (Georgetown University) 17:00 - Doors open, Check-in, Networking (National Innovation Quarter) 18:00 - Welcome by Organizers, Overview of Hackathon 18:30 - Presentation of Problem Statements 19:00 - Meta Workshop Presentation 19:30 - Fireside Chat - Advice for Presentations 19:50 - Team Formation, Open Networking, Start of Hacking 21:00 - Venue closes for the evening Saturday, April 18, 2026 Hacking continues all day 09:00 - Mentor Office Hours Begin (Mentors, operators, and sponsors available throughout the day) Sunday, April 19, 2026 12:00 - End of Hacking Demo Day (Open to Registered Visitors) 12:30 - Project Demonstrations & Judging 14:00 - Award Ceremony 14:30 - Closing & Networking Discord With More Information Coming Soon