University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) - Tactical Autonomy

The University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) Tactical Autonomy program, under Program Element (PE) 0602022F, is an Air Force initiative focused on advancing research in tactical autonomy through a consortium of universities. The primary goal is to develop innovative technologies and methodologies that enhance the autonomy of systems operating across air, space, ground, sea, and cyber domains. The program targets research areas such as trust in mission autonomy, collaboration between platforms, and human-machine teaming, all of which are critical to the effective deployment and integration of autonomous systems in military operations.

The HBCU University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) line item within this program supports a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in conducting applied research on tactical autonomy. This effort is co-funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering) and other Department of Defense agencies, aiming to leverage the scientific and engineering capabilities of HBCUs. Objectives include investigating, designing, developing, digitizing, and analyzing technology advancements that address challenges in deploying autonomous technologies, such as ensuring trustworthiness, enabling multi-platform collaboration, and optimizing human-machine interactions.

A significant objective of the program is to integrate autonomous technologies with advanced battle management systems, thereby enhancing multi-domain situational awareness, accelerating data processing and analysis, improving force protection, supporting cyber defense, and augmenting logistics operations. The research also seeks to automate maneuverability and mobility functions, which are essential for operations in high-risk or denied environments, including those affected by anti-access/area denial threats or nuclear, chemical, and biological hazards.

In fiscal year 2025, the UARC consortium plans to continue advancing fieldable tactical autonomy by developing test, evaluation, verification, and validation environments for sensor data calibration and system performance measurement. Additional efforts include software development and modeling to support trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, research into multi-platform collaboration and human-machine teaming, and the use of large language models to develop and test machine and deep learning algorithms for data analysis. These activities are designed to incorporate explainable AI into multimodal data analytics systems and to build research capacity for evaluating autonomous systems and sensor integration.

For fiscal year 2026, the program will focus on developing and demonstrating trusted autonomous technologies capable of operating with minimal human supervision in complex and unpredictable environments. The research will be applied to the management of autonomous prototypes entering production and testing phases within the acquisition pathway. Another key objective is to expand the air and space defense engineering pipeline by strengthening research partnerships between university consortium members, the Department of Defense, and the defense industry. This effort aims to raise the research capability levels of participating universities.

The program also aligns with the Department of Defense Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Strategic Plan and the Air and Space STEM Outreach Strategic Plan by fostering long-term core research expertise in tactical autonomy. It supports the early career development of STEM students, leverages university faculty research, and expands the pipeline of STEM graduates with national security experience for both government and private-sector defense roles. This strategic investment in university-based research is intended to maintain the United States' technological advantage in great power competition, particularly in scenarios where autonomous systems can offset adversaries' conventional strengths.

The UARC Tactical Autonomy program is categorized under Budget Activity 2, Applied Research, which encompasses studies and investigations directed toward general military needs and the evaluation of proposed solutions. The program's structure and funding reflect a commitment to optimizing core research areas, improving resource efficiency, and ensuring the development of reliable, data-driven autonomous platforms for future defense applications.