Sandia's engineering, science, and technology expertise helps anticipate and solve the nation’s toughest security challenges.

Defense Systems & Assessments work is focused in seven main program areas:

Information Operations:

Information Operations develops technologies that help protect U.S. government, military, and civilian computer networks from cyber threats; conduct threat assessments; and work nationally to increase public understanding of cyber issues. Using Sandia's science, engineering, and technological resources, we create and advance defensive techniques to protect critical infrastructures against cyber-attack.

Integrated Military Systems:

Integrated Military Systems develops and demonstrates game-changing systems and technologies to solve warfighters’ most challenging, urgent, and high-risk problems — defending the nation and defeating threats to national security. We offer a unique integrated capability of designing, developing, and testing advanced flight systems, as well as revolutionary technologies in directed energy, target characterization, robotics, warheads, and explosive systems.

Proliferation Assessments:

Proliferation Assessments contributes to the assessment and reduction of threats to our nation by applying engineering and analytical expertise to technical problems on behalf of the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies.

Remote Sensing and Verification:

Remote Sensing and Verification provides technical leadership for the national security community by delivering cutting-edge experimental and operational sensor systems. Deter the proliferation of nuclear weapons, verify compliance with international agreements and detect nuclear detonations using space-borne and ground-based sensing technology.

Science and Technology Products:

Science and Technology Products provides research, innovation, and products, including microsystems and electronics technologies that enhance Department of Defense mission capabilities.

Space Mission:

Space Mission delivers sensing solutions that address a wide range of complex national security issues in space. Through a Work for Others program, we have a multi-year and multi-organizational system development, delivery, and mission enhancement model.

Surveillance and Reconnaissance:

Surveillance and Reconnaissance (S&R) designs, tests, and integrates cutting-edge technology to demonstrate, field, and support high-impact S&R systems for the end-user. The S&R Program was developed from Sandia’s nuclear weapons radar capability, which led to Sandia’s initial development of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems for non-proliferation missions more than 25 years ago. Sandia has a long history delivering innovation and unprecedented performance in groundbreaking radar systems, algorithms, and technologies. As SAR systems matured over the years, other radar applications, such as radio frequency tags, followed.