Department of the Navy to host virtual HACKtheMACHINE competition

AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of the Navy is hosting the sixth iteration of its HACKtheMACHINE event from March 23 – 26, 2021. The competition, which is free for registrants, has $95,000 of prize money for winning teams and will be conducted virtually with its base at NavalX in Alexandria, VA. It is designed to foster engagement between the Navy and the public and private sectors who have limited familiarity with the military and are interested in tackling the Navy's toughest challenges.

"HACKtheMACHINE is an opportunity to test your skills against the best in the world and problem solve for the Navy while helping to bolster our national security and defense systems," said Rear Admiral Jason Lloyd, NAVSEA's Chief Engineer and Deputy Commander for Ship Design, Integration, Naval Engineering and Logistics.  "It's our responsibility to keep the Navy's ships and systems secure from attacks from malicious actors, and events like this help keep us abreast of the level and scope of threats we're facing. This broad community truly helps enhance our combat power and meet our national defense missions."

This year's event features three separate tracks:

• Track 1 - Maritime Cyber: Contestants will compete against world class hackers to overtake and breach the U.S. Navy's 2021 cyber games by working to hack into the Grace Maritime Cyber Testbed and attempting to crash one of the tools the Navy is considering for its cybersecurity monitoring environment. This track is a capture-the-flag style event played virtually on a full bridge navigation suite and a fly-by-wire propulsion system.

• Track 2 - Data Science: Contestants will be challenged to create algorithms that support the analysis and modeling of games derived from the COVID-19 crisis. Contestants will face challenges around spectrum labeling, rule set integration and optimizing resources. The ideas generated could directly impact preparations for future global health emergencies and pave the way for artificial intelligence and machine learning tools that enable better decision-making.

• Track 3 - Heavy Metal: Contestants will accelerate the adoption of Advanced Manufacturing using metallic 3D printing in the U.S. Navy. In the near future, and in part because of HACKtheMACHINE, metallic 3D printing capabilities will enable ships and shipyards to keep the fleet ready for tight national security timelines and replace critical components that fail while a ship is on mission. At the Navy's discretion, the government may award a procurement contract to the winners because the Navy does not currently have a ready supplier for the part in this challenge.

"Each track was specifically designed to tackle a real-world problem the Navy and Marine Corps want to solve," Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research, said. "The Naval Research Enterprise is laser-focused on reimagining naval power -- and efforts like this year's HACKtheMACHINE, along with the Naval X program, new tech bridges and more, are going to play a vital role in that mission. We are looking forward to seeing some great new ideas from this challenge."

Across four days, attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from five U.S. Navy Admirals that will share insight into and analysis of the proceedings and discuss the important impact the event has on our nation's defense systems. Admirals scheduled to appear include Vice Admiral William Galinis, Commander NAVSEA, Rear Admiral Jason M. Lloyd, Chief Engineer and Deputy Commander for Ship Design, Integration and Naval Engineering, Rear Admiral Seiko Okano, Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems, NAVSEA, Rear Admiral Kurt Rothenhaus, Program Executive Officer for PEO C4I and Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research.

HACKtheMACHINE is led by NAVSEA with participation from Navy Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group (NCWDG), Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) and the U.S. Navy Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I).

The competition – powered by Fathom 5 and Booz Allen Hamilton – is currently accepting registrations for the virtual event. To be placed on a team, competitors must register by midnight on March 22.

To register or learn more about the competition, you can visit hackthemachine.ai/home.

About HACKtheMACHINE
HACKtheMACHINE is a Department of the Navy-sponsored technology competition. In its sixth iteration, HACKtheMACHINE has several objectives: promote partnerships between the Navy, commercial technology companies, and the innovation ecosystem, gain insights that accelerate the Navy's technological objectives and highlight the Navy's role in supporting entrepreneurs and innovators.

About Fathom5
Fathom5 is an Austin, Texas based software company working to secure the digital future through building secure pipelines and tools for industrial technology. The company was founded in 2018 by Zac Staples and has grown to 35 employees. Fathom5 specializes in cyber-physical testbeds, industry 4.0 solutions, DevOps to the edge and digital services. The company is the onboard digital integrator for the largest U.S. flag shipping line driving digital transformations for the U.S. Navy. It was the recipient of the VA Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award in 2020. To learn more about Fathom5 you can visit https://www.fathom5.co/.

About Booz Allen
For more than 100 years, business, government, and military leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by the most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia, our firm employs about 27,200 people globally, and had revenue of $7.5 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2020. To learn more, visit www.boozallen.com. (NYSE: BAH)

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