National security
Strength through science
The University of California is proud to play a vital role in keeping Americans safe.
For decades, UC has stewarded three national labs that protect the United States through leading-edge science and technological innovation.
The labs’ work in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, materials science, nuclear physics, advanced simulations, and other scientific disciplines underpins management of the nation’s nuclear stockpile, and helps deter nuclear threats and defeat nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
Putting powerful tech to work for American security
The University of California is at the helm of three national laboratories and plays a vital role in protecting the United States by monitoring our nuclear stockpile, advancing quantum computing and artificial intelligence, and developing new materials and technologies. America’s security depends not just on military might, but on our scientific strength.
Oceanography
Ocean science made D-Day a success, but U.S. dominance at sea is now shrinking.
In the final hours before the D-Day invasion, a team of oceanographers and meteorologists advised Allied commanders to postpone the landing for 24 hours. Their analysis predicted a brief window of favorable conditions that allowed thousands of troops to land on the beaches of Normandy in one of the most consequential operations in modern history.
Cybersecurity
Foiling cyberterrorism
Malware, ransomware, and zero-day exploits threaten our infrastructure every day. That’s why at UC Santa Barbara, researchers are leading the National Science Foundation-funded Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and OperatioN (ACTION). This $20 million effort to develop AI-powered tools for constant situational awareness brings together the nation’s best computer scientists and engineers.
Saving soldiers
Developing battlefield-ready anesthetics
When service members are wounded in remote or dangerous locations, every minute counts. Teams at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego are working on a $25 million DARPA project to create safe, battlefield-ready anesthetics. This breakthrough could make it easier to better stabilize patients in the field, saving lives that could otherwise be lost in transport.
Body armor
An insect blueprint for new planes and body armor
The diabolical ironclad beetle can survive forces equal to 39,000 times its body weight. UC Irvine scientists, funded by the Air Force, are studying its shell structure to inspire new materials for planes and body armor — designs that could better protect soldiers while reducing equipment weight.
21st-century camouflage
Becoming invisible to thermal drones
With support from the Air Force and DARPA, UC Irvine researchers are creating a flexible material that mimics the Longfin inshore squid’s ability to blend into its surroundings. This innovative material can shift across visible and infrared bands, potentially helping soldiers hide from thermal drones and weaponry.