Who do you think sponsors high school math competitions in the US? It's the NSA. They use it for making decisions on scholarships that require working at the NSA during and after college. In order to work there (and thus to accept the scholarship), you must get security clearance, which includes being vetted for loyalty.

The existence of these types of programs isn't troubling. It's the belligerent geopolitics of the state that are troubling.

http://www.usamts.org

https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/icstudents.html