Pentagon eyes FLASH program to outsmart hackers

DARPA has issued a request for information on Formal Learning and Abstractions for System Heterogeneity, or FLASH, seeking methods to create diverse versions of military systems with equivalent verified functions. The concept separates high-level requirements from implementation details so that a vulnerability or fault affecting one design does not automatically compromise other versions. The agency wants automated generation of differing system instances supported by mathematical assurance that required properties are retained. Responses are due November 30, 2026, but the notice is market research and does not announce a funded programme, budget, competition or follow-on award schedule.