From emerging technologies and cyber-physical attacks to nuclear proliferation and supply chain vulnerabilities, the threats to America’s national security continue to evolve at a rapid pace.
We face these challenges head on, capitalizing on ORNL’s unique scientific assets to deliver real-world solutions that protect the people, infrastructure, and economy of the United States.
Our Missions
The National Security Sciences Directorate provides focused expertise and integrates ORNL’s science capabilities to deliver science-based solutions that:
Reducing nuclear risk and enabling peaceful uses
Securing critical assets from multi-faceted threats
Delivering global insights in communities around the world
Innovating defense manufacturing to ensure US advantage
Enhancing secure computing and AI
Our People
We are a team of more than 500 scientists, engineers, and professionals who believe the national security missions we serve and the science-based solutions we provide will bolster our nation’s capabilities, strengthen our allies and partners, and ensure a prosperous global future.
Materials scientists, software engineers, cyber experts, data scientists, remote sensing specialists, geographers, lawyers, mathematicians — it takes broad, multidisciplinary skillsets to deliver our vital missions.
Together with diverse teams from across ORNL and our partners, we proudly uphold the laboratory’s 80-year legacy of scientific support to national security needs.
Our Science
Uranium Science
Our uranium experts advance scientific understanding of the nuclear fuel cycle, develop and implement collection and detection technologies, and strengthen international safeguards, security, and nonproliferation regimes.
We’re advancing the science of cyber and cyber-physical security — including Artificial Intelligence, vulnerability science, identity science, and human-machine interfaces — to characterize our nation’s adversaries and enable resilient operation of critical infrastructure.
At the intersection of geographical knowledge, AI, and high-performance computing, our experts are transforming how we observe, analyze, and visualize the built environment and human dynamics around the world.
ORNL’s National Security Sciences Directorate is rapidly advancing the science of resilience, security, and analytics to solve critical challenges in nuclear security, cybersecurity, and human security.
Our People: Serving with Passion
It’s a passion. A calling to serve an important mission. Hear why our researchers come to work every day to deliver the science that secures the nation.
Our People: Tackling Big Challenges
Our people are tackling the biggest challenges in national security, often working behind the scenes.
