Innovating for Defense (LPPS 3340 & LPPS 7184)

Course Overview

Innovating for Defense (I4D) courses provide UVA students with the rare opportunity to work directly with the U.S. Department of Defense to address real-world national security challenges. Through research, stakeholder interviews, and engagements with outside experts, student teams develop policy recommendations for their project sponsors’ organizations. Beyond an understanding of defense organizations and culture, students gain problem-solving and professional skills that transfer to any field. 

Innovating for Defense (LPPS 3340) is taught during the fall semester and is open to undergraduates from across the University. 

Innovating for Defense (LPPS 7184) is taught during the spring semester and is open to graduate students from the Schools of Law, Engineering, and Public Policy.

For more information, please contact Dr. John Robinson at djr6nf@virginia.edu

Student Opportunities

I4D is part of a wider initiative at the National Security Policy Center (NSPC) to connect students with the policy and defense communities. NSPC courses and practitioner engagement prepare our students for follow-on internships and employment in national security organizations. 

Student Testimonials

“I wasn’t sure what specifically I wanted to do with my foreign affairs major, but I was intrigued by the unique structure of I4D and the opportunity to work directly for the U.S. government as a student, so I immediately enrolled. I loved the hands-on nature and getting to learn what working for the DoD was really like. After taking I4D in the fall, I was one of six students selected to extend my work and intern for the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN).”

Hannah Boehlert, 2018 Innovating for Defense student
Strategy Consultant at Accenture Federal Services

“On a bit of a long shot, I reached out to my I4D project sponsor to see if he knew of any summer opportunities. To my surprise, he called me just twenty minutes later and enthusiastically discussed several possibilities, including a research internship with his own consulting firm. I never expected that a connection formed through I4D would open the door to such an exciting and meaningful opportunity. The I4D experience is more than a class—it’s a long-term professional and academic network I’m excited to keep building throughout my time at Batten and UVA.”

Emma Hartman, 2024 Innovating for Defense student

I4D Student Team Projects

Fall 2023

Strategic Deterrence and the Far Future 

U.S. Strategic Command would like to understand the far future (2050-2100) to position itself to provide enduring strategic deterrence for the nation. With the increasing speed and volume of change in the strategic environment, a proactive and unconventional approach to look out beyond current planning and budgeting horizons is critical for the United States to prepare for the coming uncertainty.  

Understanding China’s Military Partnerships in Africa 

The Department of Defense needs to understand what kinds of military-to-military engagements build effective, positive, and lasting relationships between China and African military partners, and what methods can be used to measure the effectiveness of these engagements. 

Modeling Positive Norms in Space 

The U.S. Space Force would like recommendations to ensure that the United States remains a leader in the community of space-faring nations. This will require compliance with our own obligations and continued modeling of responsible behavior. We require an objective, analytic, user-friendly framework that integrates the views of others – allies, adversaries, neutrals – to assess U.S. compliance with space obligations. Included in the calculus should be a deeper analysis of U.S. commercial space company compliance and forward-looking policy options to ensure U.S. leadership and stability in space. 

Nuclear Modernization with Chinese Characteristics 

The Department of Defense is interested in exploring the impact that China’s ongoing nuclear modernization could have on the effectiveness of the underlying assumptions and core tenets of Western deterrence theory and execution of U.S. nuclear posture.  To what extent does the evolution from a bipolar to a multipolar dynamic change the core assumptions of current U.S. deterrence theory and practice?  What constitutes the Chinese perspective on deterrence theory, and how might China evolve a concept of deterrence “with Chinese characteristics” that challenges or breaks the assumptions underlying decades of Western practice?   

The Future of Ground Force Integration 

The U.S. Army would like to better understand successful ground force integration. The conflict in Ukraine, and the reality that the U.S. must plan for potential conflict against two peer-level adversaries, make calls for integration (otherwise known as interoperability) stronger, particularly within NATO. What are the key aspects of integration in a multinational formation given current and emerging military capabilities? Does the changing character of war necessitate a reevaluation of multinational integration? 

Spring 2024

A Framework for Ethical S&T Development 

The U.S. Navy’s research enterprise needs a framework to help ensure ethical S&T development. Strategic deterrence doctrine has always been dependent on U.S. nuclear capabilities. With great power competition, we now appear to be shifting our shared understanding of deterrence in light of multiple advanced technologies. If artificial intelligence, genetic weapons, or other disruptive technologies will play a future role in a broader deterrence strategy, where should the ethical debate exist and whom should be leading it? Going forward, what needs to be put in place to help establish guardrails on future S&T development? 

Measuring the Effectiveness of U.S. Foreign Investment 

How can the United States measure the effectiveness of development investments against U.S. foreign policy goals? The U.S. cannot and should not match China’s investments dollar-for-dollar, but we can and should do more to support international economic development with partners who have embraced the private sector-driven development model. This project seeks to develop models for shaping strategic decision-making by identifying countries and sectors that maximize the impact of U.S. investments against our foreign policy goals. 

Calibrating U.S. Responses to Future Cyber Attacks 

The Intelligence Community needs a framework by which analysts and policymakers can address future cyber-attacks, based on whether a non-state operated malicious cyber actor is involved. From a legal and policy perspective, how and under what conditions does the involvement of a malicious cyber actor (operating on its own volition or as part of a coordinated or directed effort by a foreign government) inform an appropriate U.S. response? 

Fall 2024 

Designing Better Wargaming Scenarios for Space 

The U.S. Space Force needs a framework to help guide unclassified wargaming scenarios that include all relevant space actors and advance space resilience in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environment. There is a trade-off between fidelity and generalizability when creating an unclassified wargame. What are the best practices to achieve the right balance in a game that includes the U.S. Government, partner nations, academia, and industry, while still generating meaningful insights? 

AI Implementation in the Intelligence Community 

As generative AI models such as Large Language Models are introduced on classified networks, the Intelligence Community must decide what opportunities these models provide to speed up analyst productivity. Leaders must also decide what appropriate roles these models should fill. For example, should LLMs be used for rating or employment decisions? What policies and procedures might be necessary to support new teams comprised of humans and algorithms? 

Countering Russian Security Engagement in Africa 

How should the United States best counter Russian security engagement in Africa? The national security community needs to better understand the value of Russian engagement to African leaders and how U.S. security force assistance can be more effective in this competitive environment. 

The Future of Autonomous Technology in the Maritime Domain  

What lessons should the U.S. Navy take from the war in Ukraine to inform autonomous technology development and acquisition so that the U.S. can maintain its dominance in the maritime domain?  

A Framework for Effective DoD Investments 

What are some potential models for assessing the strategic impact of investments supported through the Department of Defense? How can we measure the effectiveness of investments against U.S. National Security Priorities?  

Protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure 

Undersea infrastructure is at risk of accidental and purposeful destruction.  This infrastructure is critical to modern life in many parts of the world, yet it often exists in hard-to-reach places between national jurisdictions.  International coordination is likely necessary to deal with these emerging risks.  What steps could the United States take to reduce the risks of sabotage or accidental destruction of critical undersea infrastructure?   

Spring 2025

Reimagining U.S. Engagement with Latin America 

How should the Department of Defense support an all-of-government approach to engagement with states in Latin America? There may be an opportunity to reimagine these relationships based on emerging mutual interests. Furthermore, how might these engagements be used to counter Chinese and Russian activities and influence? 

Environmental Security Engagement in Latin American and Caribbean States   

How do the militaries of Latin American and the Caribbean approach environmental-security related issues? These states are vulnerable to a spectrum of threats, which has led to emerging strategies and plans with a variety of approaches, strengths, and weaknesses. Given this reality, what opportunities exist for the United States to engage with these states on environmental-security issues?  

Developing a Strategic Approach to U.S. Investment in Latin America 

How should the U.S. Government foster innovation and strengthen economic ties between the U.S. and Latin America? There is certainly regional variation to consider, as well as which industries and markets will need to be prioritized for maximum (strategic) impact and likelihood of success.  What are the incentives for U.S. and Latin American companies, and which strategies can the U.S Government employ to entice participation and investment?  

Cyber Sovereignty in Latin America 

The Department of Defense needs to understand how the overlapping influences of the United States and China, private corporations, and international organizations shape cyberspace governance. What are the implications for global cooperation and security in Latin America?