Shortly after it was established, it became a Federal Contract Research Center (FCRC), one of nine such organizations including RAND, Aerospace Corporation, MITRE, CNA, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Throughout the 1960s, ANSER's staff performed research and analysis to help the Air Force make decisions about strategic missiles, attack aircraft and fighters, navigation systems, and "over-the-horizon" radar.

Releasing its FCRC designation in 1976, ANSER began to work for other United States Department of Defense components, and select federal agencies.

In the spring of 2001, the company invested its personnel and assets to create the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security, making it well-positioned for contracts after the events of 9/11 that year.

In 2004, ANSER won the contract to host HSI, a think tank devoted to addressing national policy and security issues where scientific, technical, and analytical expertise is required.

In January 2017, ANSER purchased Advanced Technology International (ATI) of Summerville, South Carolina, a non-profit entity that organizes and manages research and development consortia on behalf of the Federal Government.