HR-10333 : Still Just a Bill

The Defense Hackathon Act of 2024, or H.R. 10333, aims to establish a hackathon program within the Department of Defense (DoD). The goal is to foster innovation and rapidly develop solutions to critical technical challenges. Key provisions include:

• Establishment of a Program: The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the DoD, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief Information Officer of the DoD, must establish the Department of Defense Hackathon Program within 180 days of the Act's enactment.
• Hackathon Frequency: Requires the commanders of combatant commands and the Secretaries of the military departments to carry out a minimum of four hackathons annually.
• Program Management: The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer will develop standards, provide technical infrastructure, and determine the hosts for each hackathon.
• Host Responsibilities: Each year, two combatant commands and two military departments will host a hackathon on a rotating basis. Hosts must provide a per diem allowance to participants and submit a report on the hackathon to the DoD within 60 days of completion.
• Hackathon Objectives: Hackathons will address critical, technical challenges relevant to the host's command or department, utilizing data scientists, developers, software engineers, and other specialists. Objectives include fostering innovation and creating repeatable processes for identifying and developing solutions to technical challenges.
• Definition of Hackathon: A "Hackathon" is defined as an event where DoD employees collaborate to develop functional software or hardware solutions to solve a critical, technical challenge determined by the host.