Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security
ARLIS is the University of Maryland's Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to intelligence and national security, combining AI, behavioral science, and systems engineering to address complex security challenges.
ARLIS is the University of Maryland's Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to intelligence and national security, combining AI, behavioral science, and systems engineering to address complex security challenges.
People
Updated 05/18/26Executive Director
Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
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Org Details
Updated 05/18/26The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) was established in 2018 at the University of Maryland under the sponsorship of the U.S. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. It is one of only 15 Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) nationwide, and the sole UARC dedicated exclusively to intelligence and security problems. The facility officially opened in December 2021 in UMD's Discovery District in College Park, Maryland. ARLIS employs more than 240 full- and part-time staff across more than 40 disciplines, including computer science, social and behavioral sciences, political science, economics, linguistics, and systems engineering. The lab draws on both cutting-edge technical expertise and the experience of former defense, security, and intelligence professionals to address real-world national security challenges. In May 2024, UMD was awarded a $500 million ceiling contract from the Department of Defense to support ARLIS's mission—the largest research contract in UMD's history. The lab's research spans three core competencies: Operational Innovation and Information, Intelligent Human-Machine Systems, and Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies. Key programs include the RISC (Research for Intelligence and Security Challenges) program, which develops proof-of-concept tools and trains cleared student researchers, and the INSURE Academic Consortium, which connects the DoD with vetted academic talent. ARLIS has conducted research on AI-assisted declassification of government documents, quantum computing for defense applications, cognitive security against information threats, and insider threat methodologies. In February 2024, ARLIS and UMD's Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law and Society (TRAILS) jointly led UMD's membership in the AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), a federal effort convened by the Department of Commerce involving more than 200 AI stakeholders focused on improving the trustworthiness and safety of AI systems. ARLIS brings expertise in AI engineering and AI assurance to this effort, developing scientific foundations for trustworthy AI in national security contexts. John Beieler, who served as the Intelligence Community's inaugural Chief AI Officer at ODNI, became ARLIS Executive Director in September 2024.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26ARLIS's implicit theory of change for AI safety is rooted in the national security context: by developing rigorous scientific foundations for AI trustworthiness and assurance, testing AI systems for reliability and safety, and embedding AI governance into defense and intelligence workflows, ARLIS aims to ensure that AI adopted by the U.S. government operates reliably and without catastrophic failures. Its participation in AISIC extends this to the broader societal AI safety ecosystem. The lab also believes that combining human expertise with AI augmentation—rather than full automation—reduces risks from AI errors in high-stakes security decisions.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects
Updated 05/18/26
An ARLIS-led academic consortium that allows the U.S. government and broader national security enterprise to leverage vetted university talent to solve hard intelligence and security problems, while giving member institutions clearer demand signals from government sponsors, access to research opportunities reserved for UARCs and trusted partners, sole-source contracting pathways through ARLIS, and infrastructure for work on sensitive government programs.
A 10-week paid and mostly virtual summer internship program run by ARLIS that pairs competitively selected undergraduate and graduate students with faculty mentors from INSURE consortium institutions and Department of Defense and Intelligence Community sponsors to work on real intelligence and security problems and, for eligible interns, obtain security clearances and be considered for future U.S. government employment.
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