Download the 2021 Annual Report
From the Executive Director
Enabling the Intelligence and Security Edge
As we enter 2022, ARLIS is transitioning from “start-up” into a robust center of excellence for national security research. The evolving ARLIS represents a new type of University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the Department of Defense, with a core team of experts augmented by partners in the ARLIS-led Intelligence and Security University Research Enterprise (INSURE) consortium.
In 2021, ARLIS deepened and broadened our team of scientists and engineers in critical areas of national security need such as artificial intelligence, behavioral science, and information systems, and brought on former practitioners to ensure that the work stays grounded in mission needs.
Support from our core sponsor, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security (OUSD(I&S))—as well as strategic partners such as the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—have populated a diverse portfolio of over 60 projects, from basic sciences in AI and microelectronics to operational support activities for combatant commands and agencies in the Defense Intelligence and Security Enterprise.
ARLIS establishes essential new resources for research, development, and operational transition in service to stakeholders across the government. These include computational support to provide controlled unclassified information (CUI) capabilities to the INSURE community, test and evaluation infrastructure for supporting the transition of AI technologies, and capabilities for processing public domain and commercial data sources—including sources across different languages—to understand global near-peer competition and illuminate supply chains.
ARLIS is becoming an essential resource to the Department and stakeholders government-wide in addressing the most vexing sociotechnical national security problems facing the nation today. Thank you for this opportunity to share this 2021 overview of ARLIS with you.
William Regli, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security
University of Maryland