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Innovative Thinking At 'Hack the Machine' 2019
by U.S. Navy Elisha Gamboa
Naval
Information Warfare Systems Command
November 7, 2019
Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) leaders
encouraged participants at the Hack the Machine competition
to push traditional boundaries and explore unconventional solutions
for warfighters on September 6-8, 2019 at New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard,
in Brooklyn, New York.
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September 7, 2019
- A team of Naval Midshipmen and Air Force Airmen from the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy participate in track one during HacktheMachine competition at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. HACKtheMACHINE is where people from diverse backgrounds and professions work alongside military and government personnel to help the U.S. Navy solve its foremost cyber and technical problems. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Bryan Ilyankoff)
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Led by Naval Sea Systems Command,
Hack the Machine is a unique digital experience that brings together
a diverse set of professionals to work alongside military and
government personnel to address some of the most challenging issues
the Navy is currently facing.
NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm.
Christian Becker, originally from New York, helped kick off the
event, speaking to attendees about the importance of innovation and
collaboration in today’s increasingly competitive information
environment to ensure national and global security.
“Tomorrow’s problems will not be solved with yesterday’s solutions;
instead they require new and innovative ideas,” said Becker. “We
have to work together - Navy, government, industry, students, and
teachers, technical and non-technical people - to think differently
and turn those ideas into reality to make sure we remain ahead of
our competition in the coming decades.”
During the
competition, Becker and Capt. Kurt Rothenhaus, program manager for
the Tactical Networks Program Office at the Program Executive Office
for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence
(PEO C4I), spoke to participants on the event floor, encouraging
them to push the limits of what is possible when tackling the event
challenges.
“It was terrific to be in Brooklyn for this
year’s Hack the Machine, to bring new and diverse perspectives to
our Navy’s and Nation’s technical challenges and opportunities,”
said Rothenhaus. “This includes using emerging technologies in data
sciences on the latest network we are delivering today for the
Navy’s Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services
(CANES).”
Hack the Machine offered three tracks or
challenges, one of which incorporated NAVWAR-developed technologies.
The Cleared for Takeoff challenge allowed participants the
chance to use data science and machine learning technologies to
predict maintenance problems before they happen and keep aircrafts
like the Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet in the air.
Participants
competing in the Cleared for Takeoff challenge had the opportunity
to use NAVWAR-developed Agile Core Services (ACS), a sub-system of
CANES infrastructure that can rapidly deploy standards-based
warfighter applications.
The other two tracks included a Hack
the Ship challenge and a Rendering Aid challenge.
Hack the
Ship was a unique maritime capture-the-flag experience where
participants had the chance to hack maritime computer systems,
including those required for safe navigation.
In the
Rendering Aid track, competitors worked with designers, engineers
and 30 3-D printers to quickly produce parts needed to remotely
assist with ship repair.
Ideas and solutions from past Hack
the Machine challenges are at work throughout the Navy today. Hack
the Machine is now in its fifth year of operation with past events
held in Seattle, Boston, Austin, Texas, San Francisco, and this
year, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s New Lab in Brooklyn, New York.
Launched in 2016, New Lab supports over 130 startups in 84
thousand square feet of space. New Lab's location dates back to
1902, when it served as the primary machine shop for every major
ship launched during World Wars I and II. Inspired by the facility's
rich history, New Lab is now home to 760 entrepreneurs working in
today's most cutting-edge technologies, including quantum computing,
space technology, autonomous vehicles, advanced medical research,
and more.
About NAVWAR:
Naval Information Warfare
Systems Command (NAVWAR) identifies, develops, delivers and sustains
information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval,
joint, coalition and other national missions operating in
warfighting domains from seabed to space. NAVWAR consists of more
than 11,000 active duty military and civil service professionals
located around the world.
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