In the midst of the United States' competitive national security position against foreign adversaries, a flagging policy focus in Research, Development, Test, & Evaluation (RDT&E) could yield serious consequences. One area ripe for increased innovation sits with the Department of Defense (DoD) with its higher education partnerships. Last June, the University of Alaska Fairbanks reported a hefty five-year contract award of $139 million with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The contract will help fund research through the school's University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). With thousands of higher learning institutions across the country, there are currently only 15 UARCs in operation. More UARCs are needed for the good of postsecondary education and the nation's defense writ large, contending the 15 DoD-sponsored UARCs are not enough to fuel the U.S.'s RDT&E requirements in this Great Power Competition (GPC) era.

According to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)): "While any university can receive funds from the Department to perform work, that does not make them a UARC. Rather, all DoD UARCs are approved by USD(R&E) after a rigorous review and competitive selection process conducted by the proposed primary sponsor. Only USD(R&E) can establish, transfer, or terminate a UARC." RDT&E partnerships between defense agencies and academia have existed for decades. Military-university partnerships began in earnest during the Second World War because of the nation's urgent need for improved weapons and defense technology. Over time, partnerships formalized into official arrangements such as Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and UARCs. Formally created in 1996 to operate as contracts in a non-profit capacity under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2304(c)(3)(B) and the FAR § 6.302-3(a)(2)(ii), UARCs are higher education research organizations assisting and advancing the DoD's RDT&E pursuits.

With university-employed scientific experts operating under oversight by a primary DoD sponsor, the 15 UARCs are:

• University of California, Santa Barbara's Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (Army)
• University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies (Army)
• Georgia Institute of Technology's Georgia Tech Research Institute (Army)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Army)
• Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (Navy)
• Pennsylvania State University's Applied Research Laboratory (Navy)
• University of Texas at Austin's Applied Research Laboratories (Navy)
• University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory (Navy)
• University of Hawaii's Applied Research Laboratory (Navy)
• Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory (Missile Defense Agency)
• University of Maryland's Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security)
• Stevens Institute of Technology's Systems Engineering Research Center (Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering)
• Howard University's Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy (Air Force)
• University of Nebraska's National Strategic Research Institute (U.S. Strategic Command)
• University of Alaska Fairbanks's Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control)

These UARCs are driving innovation, impacting policy agendas and policy execution within the DoD via critical RDT&E contributions. UARC missions run the gamut and within each center missions are impressive and quite varied. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, cited as the nation's largest UARC, lists as its core competencies: "Strategic systems test and evaluation, submarine security and survivability, space science and engineering, combat systems and guided missiles, air and missile defense and power projection, information technology, simulation, modeling, and operations analysis, and mission-related research, development, test, and evaluation."

In addition to expanding the footprint of university missions, a UARC on campus can bring influence and prestige to an institution. With the associated funding awards to enhance a school's RDT&E efforts, UARCs can help secure longer-term benefits. UARCs can be attractive to faculty and students, driving other research and funding prospects, along with increased access to a network of government contacts, opening the door for future opportunities and expansion. UARCs are a source of jobs, as well as training beds for students, particularly those in STEM fields. Institutions looking to hire more veterans would do well to employ veterans in these UARC roles to assist with navigating UARC initiation requirements. With robust national security experience, often already possessing security clearances, veterans on staff would be valuable for identifying and articulating the requirements to petition for UARC establishment.

To note, the special requirements and red tape associated with launching a UARC could be seen as daunting and, therefore, could be a possible deterrent. Various concerns such as obtaining security clearances, compliance with government regulations, and, in some cases, installing the requisite infrastructure to execute the DoD's RDT&E needs, could all present hurdles for some higher education institutions. Also, the establishment and maintenance of UARCs has engendered criticism. Past objections have included contentions that those in support of UARCs are partners with the DoD in suppressing or exploiting various groups. Other detractors have expressed concerns that the DoD's influence on campus may limit academic freedom, and some campuses have been sites of protests against UARCs.

The U.S.'s adversaries are pushing hard to advance their strategic positions in the present GPC environment. In light of persistent national security challenges, it can be surmised increased RDT&E efforts are needed. While UARC establishment is not without hurdles, UARCs present an exciting and proven tool through which national security improvements can be realized. Moreover, the standard UARC RDT&E agenda, largely with hard science concentrations, should be reconsidered as a result of current geopolitics. Greater expansion of UARC missions into other disciplines such as finance, law, medicine, agriculture, and the soft sciences is worthy of exploration by both policymakers and university officials. Policymakers should act promptly to reform and ramp-up the country's UARC-generated efforts and infrastructure. The number of UARCs could be increased to provide decisionmakers more alternatives to fortify the country's evolving national security posture.

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Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Working as a Veteran in HigherEd

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