WArHacker
16-19 June 2026 • San Diego, CA
It’s Warhacking Time!
Get Software to Warfighters.
Warhacker is a first-of-its-kind hackathon bringing together government, industry, academia, and non-profits to BUILD, PACKAGE, and DEPLOY software solutions to warfighter problems.
Warhacker is not a conference with a speaker lineup or vendor hall.
At Warhacker, we’re coming together to build, learn, and DELIVER.
Don’t Stop at Prototype.
Shoot for Prod.
You may build an exquisite software capability, but if it can’t be deployed and authorized on the mission systems that matter, it’s not doing any good.
At Warhacker, we take solutions across the finish line by packaging them with the open source UDS Core platform so they’re ready for rapid deployment and authorization anywhere – from cloud to edge.
Warhackers measure success by the number of apps in mission environments.
We’re on the hunt for problems to solve.
Come with problems.
Leave with solutions.
Tell us about mission problems you face that need a software solution.
Are you a software vendor with an existing capability that’s struggling to get deployed and/or authorized on DOW systems?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
Are you a military member relying on an overly complicated and questionably constructed Excel spreadsheet for mission-critical tasks?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
Are you a defense researcher or lab lead stuck managing classified experiments, test data, and export-control rules with a maze of shared drives, email chains, and legacy portals?
That’s a problem. BRING IT!
We’ll select the top problems to form Warhacking teams.
Ready to Warhack?
Apply Today.
Warhacker is free to attend, and we welcome Warhackers from Government, Industry, Academia, and Nonprofit organizations. We are limited to around 400 Warhackers for this inaugural event and will curate the attendee list to ensure equitable distribution amongst those groups aligned with problems.
Use the form below to apply. Describe the mission problem(s) you want to solve. We’ll follow up with additional registration information if you are selected.
FAQ
If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for here, reach out at warhacker@defenseunicorns.com.
We will continue to add FAQs to this page.
What is Warhacker?
Warhacker is a first-of-its-kind hackathon that brings together makers from government, industry, academia, and non-profits to build, package, and deploy software solutions to warfighter problems.
Warhacker is not your typical conference, with a speaker lineup and vendor hall. If you’re coming to Warhacker, you’re coming to build, learn, and deliver.
The difference between Warhacker and other defense hackathons is that we don’t stop at prototypes. Warhackers take their solutions across the finish line, packaging them with the open source UDS Core platform so they’re ready for rapid deployment and authorization in any environment – from cloud to edge.
When and Where is Warhacker?
Warhacker will take place 16-19 June 2026 in downtown San Diego, CA.
(Specific location and detailed agenda will be provided upon acceptance.)
High-Level Agenda:
• Day 0 (16 June): Travel to San Diego → Professional Networking
• Day 1 (17 June): Establish Teams → Commence Warhacking
• Day 2 (18 June): Continue Warhacking
• Day 3 (19 June): Complete Warhacking → Outbrief → Return to Base
When will I find out if my application is approved?
Applications will be processed on a rolling basis with reviews completed every two weeks. The current schedule is:
• Wave 1 approvals: 13 March 2026
• Wave 2 approvals: 27 March 2026
• Wave 3 approvals: 10 April 2026