University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) - Tactical Autonomy

University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for Tactical Autonomy, is a new initiative under Budget Activity 2, Applied Research, within the Air Force's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation appropriation. The program aims to support a consortium conducting innovative research to advance the state of the art and cultivate expertise in tactical autonomy. Specific research topics include trust in mission autonomy, collaboration between platforms, and human-machine teaming. The program seeks to investigate, design, develop, digitize, and analyze technology advancements in air, space, ground, sea, and cyber domains to address factors complicating the deployment and adoption of autonomous technologies.

The University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for Tactical Autonomy program aims to advance the state of the art in tactical autonomy and cultivate expertise in this field. It supports a consortium conducting innovative research on topics such as trust in mission autonomy, collaboration between platforms, and human-machine teaming. The program's objectives include investigating, designing, developing, digitizing, and analyzing technology advancements in various domains to address challenges in deploying and adopting autonomous technologies. Additionally, the UARC will work to integrate autonomous technologies with advanced battle management systems and expand the defense industrial base by identifying and incorporating applicable technologies from small businesses. This initiative aligns with the Department of Defense's strategic plan for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by establishing long-term core research expertise in tactical autonomy leveraging scientific and engineering capabilities among contributing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).