National security leaders tour Virginia Tech talent and technology

Federal leaders recently converged in Blacksburg to get a firsthand look at technology and talent helping to make the nation more secure. 

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines visited Virginia Tech’s National Security Institute to collect faculty insights on cutting-edge research and visit with students already working in these spaces.  

“I cannot overstate the importance of staying on the cutting edge of technologies like unmanned undersea vehicles, drone systems, and advanced manufacturing,” said Warner. “As chairman of the Intelligence Committee, I am proud to see Virginia Tech working hand-in-hand with defense and intelligence communities to address these pressing national security issues.” 

Warner and Haines were joined by Virginia Tech leaders, including President Tim Sands and Rector Ed Baine and member Nancy Dye of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. 

The specific research areas they discussed include the following:

Virginia Tech’s National Security Institute

• Eric Paterson, executive director of the National Security Institute, gave an overview of the institute which leads the university’s engagement with the Department of Defense and intelligence community as a whole. The institute is home to some of the nation’s leading researchers in autonomy, spectrum dominance, cyber security and resilience, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
• Laura Freeman, deputy director of the institute, highlighted its robust workforce development programs, specifically calling attention to the Defense Civilian Training Corps program. Virginia Tech is one of only four institutions nationwide selected for the program, which offers students unique undergraduate opportunities and a direct path to a civilian career within the Department of Defense.

Unmanned undersea vehicles

• Dan Stilwell, co-director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics, shared the work the university is doing to support the U.S. Navy’s need for underwater autonomous systems. This includes the design and fabrication of subsea charging capabilities to support persistent unmanned undersea vehicles operations, improving their acoustic communication with a low probability of detection or intercept, and improving the detection and mitigation of faults. 

Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems Testing and Research Center 

• Tombo Jones, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, and Austin Phoenix, director of the Mission Systems Division of the National Security Institute, shared their work to help address critical threats posed by the prevalence of commercial-off-the-shelf unmanned aerial systems manufactured by foreign adversaries. They highlighted the specialized facilities and faculty expertise that position Virginia Tech as a unique university partner in this space. 

Advanced manufacturing research and development 

• Chris Williams, director of the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems Lab, shared how Virginia Tech is leading in the development of 3D printing that could alleviate existing limitations with the manufacturing processes for unmanned aerial systems swarms and large-scale metal parts. Home to one of the top additive manufacturing programs in the world, the university is uniquely positioned to assist the nation as demand for on-site, just-in-time fabrication of mission-specific vehicles and components grows.

During the visit, Warner also took part in a ceremony honoring Virginia Tech as a recipient of the 2023 Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence. Given out annually by the Department of Defense’s Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the university was among five of more than 12,000 eligible organizations in the United States to receive the award.

Prior to the award ceremony, Haines had a roundtable discussion with graduate and undergraduate students representing the university’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology and the Defense Civilian Training Corps. The latter is co-led by the Hume Center, part of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute, and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

“As a long-standing Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, the Virginia Tech National Security Institute is an extraordinary partner to both ODNI [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence] and the intelligence community, advancing research and talent development toward building the nation’s capacity to respond to an evolving threat landscape,” said Haines. “The global threat environment requires that we take innovative approaches to tackling problems and creating solutions, and Virginia Tech is building an exceptional, diverse pipeline of future national security professionals and leaders who are ready to help us address these challenges."

Haylee Rogers, an undergraduate student in attendance, said the thought of visiting with the director was intimidating at first, but it quickly became clear Haines placed a high value on spending time with the students.

“At first, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I get to sit in a room with her,'” said Rogers, a senior studying political science. “But she was so humble and so attentive, you could tell that she really wanted to talk with us.”

Michael Mazikin, a junior studying international relations, said he was impressed by the importance Haines seemed to place on building relationships and developing skills of communication.  

“I think it’s really important to be knowledgeable about your subject matter, but successfully working in the government is also a lot about being able to work with people,” said Mazikin, who is also a member of the Corps of Cadets and a Defense Civilian Training Corps scholar. “One of my biggest takeaways was how she emphasized the importance of building connections. She encouraged us to go be social, go talk to people, because that’s the way you’ll find better opportunities.” 

Rogers, who is slated to graduate this semester, said she was very encouraged by Haines’ approach to embracing mistakes as learning opportunities. 

“In the intelligence community and the Department of Defense, the decisions made there are so heavy, it’s a little scary to think about coming in as a new graduate to those spaces,” Rogers said. “So her advice to learn from your mistakes in order to do it better the next time was something that really stuck with me.”

Rogers has been involved with the Hume Center in a variety of capacities during her time at Virginia Tech. She said the organization has consistently impressed her with their workforce development efforts. 

“The Hume Center just keeps one-upping themselves with the professional development opportunities they’ve offered me,” Rogers said. “Honestly, this was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Tech.”