July 2026

Ready for the Next 250 Years

America has come a long way in 250 years.

It’s hard to imagine what the future will look like, but our mission asks us to anticipate what’s ahead while staying grounded in today’s challenges. We’re committed to advancing science, engineering, and technology essential to the nation’s security, health, safety, and prosperity.

To mark this moment in America’s story, we asked our people to share how their work contributes to our nation’s future.

5-minute read time

AMERICA 250

Protecting the Future: National Security

National Security photo

Our National Security Sector has delivered capabilities fielded in every major conflict over the past 20 years. Today, we’re helping transform federal acquisition, transitioning cost-effective solutions to meet urgent mission needs, and reducing technical and operational risk so industry can compete to scale solutions for impact.

The goal: Get technology to the warfighter faster.

Protecting the Future: Health

Doctor looking at a screen

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we recently delivered a new cyber resiliency tool to the health sector, helping more than 4,000 medical facilities nationwide plan for and mitigate ransomware and other cyberattacks.

The goal: Keep hospitals and care teams operational when communities need them most.

Protecting the Future: Economic Prosperity

Cargo ship in Miami

Our economic security frameworks assess global supply-chain risks, evaluate the impacts of international trade policy decisions, and prioritize opportunities for U.S. competitiveness.

The goal: Enable smarter decision making, strengthen America’s security and competitive edge, and empower analysts to identify risks and dependencies faster.

CYBERSECURITY IMPACT

MITRE Contributes Caldera to Apache Incubator, Expanding Open Collaboration

Woman typing on a laptop

MITRE launched Caldera nearly a decade ago as a cybersecurity platform that automates realistic attack simulations. The open-source tool saves cyber practitioners time, money, and energy while improving defenses.

In its next chapter, MITRE is contributing Caldera to the Apache® Incubator where, under the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), it will continue growing as a global cybersecurity resource. We will remain actively involved in its development and direction.

Why it matters: The transition to ASF’s vendor-neutral governance opens the door to broader collaboration, wider adoption, and long-term sustainability.

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

Tackling Turbulence for Safer Flights

jet flying through clouds

Bumpy flights are notably worse in the summer months thanks to intense heat and increased thunderstorm activity. With turbulence on the rise, a cross-disciplinary team conducting independent research and development is working on two approaches to improve flight safety, including an onboard system designed to give pilots advance warning of hard-to-forecast clear air turbulence.

Bottom line: Earlier warning systems would give crews more time to ensure passengers are seated and buckled, and in some cases help pilots avoid turbulence altogether.

 

OUR CULTURE IN ACTION

Cyber Engineer Sees Big Challenges and Big Opportunities in Space System Design

Robert Sumner

Bustling with satellites supporting a range of international commercial, civil, and national security missions, space systems are at once becoming more elaborate and vulnerable.

Robert Sumner, a cyber engineer in MITRE’s National Space Program, is helping address the cyber challenges that come with that evolution. As a Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellow with the Center for a New American Security, he’s also examining how emerging technologies and national security policy can shape cybersecurity in space.

A 330,000-foot view: "As space systems become more complex, interconnected, and cyber-dependent, mission success requires a more integrated approach to how they’re designed," Sumner says.

WE'RE HIRING

Bring Your Passion. Shape the Future.

MITRE wears many hats, but at our core we’re nonprofit leaders in federally funded research and development. Translation: we turn bold ideas into solutions that strengthen our nation's security, health, and prosperity.

Seeking collaborative, curious innovators: Our people are the driving force behind our mission, which is why we invest in their success through competitive benefits, meaningful career growth and development, and a culture that values innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. To learn more, visit our careers page.