Expanded UAF, military partnership looks north

Expanded UAF, military partnership looks north

A newly inked federal agreement will expand the scope of the research partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the U.S. military. It will also refocus those efforts on the Arctic.

UAF was first named a federal university-affiliated research center in 2018. The center was formerly focused only on detecting nuclear blasts. The five-year agreement, signed last week, aligns the UAF center with the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.

"This partnership with UAF is a natural extension of the increasing U.S. and global interest in the Arctic," UAF interim chancellor Larry Hinzman said. "It will allow the U.S. government to leverage UAF's unmatched Arctic research expertise to increase security, awareness and preparedness in the region."

The newly renamed Arctic and Homeland Defense Center is one of 15 UARCs nationwide.

Unlike traditional research grants, UARCs don't come with set funding. Instead, the designation allows UAF to receive sole-source defense funding. In practice, that means defense agencies and the military can contract directly with UAF for scientific or technological information to solve a problem.

The new agreement is expected to mean an increase in contracts.

"This change shows that there is great confidence in our ability to help any Arctic-based needs that might arise," Geophysical Institute Director Robert McCoy said. McCoy is also director of the Arctic and Homeland Defense Center.

The new center will be able to address long-term national priorities and assist with short-term tasks such as hurricane recovery and wildfires.

UARC research nationwide often has both civilian and military applications. For example, the nuclear detection research that was the original focus of the UARC also offers promise for the rapid detection of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Much of this research happens at the UAF Geophysical Institute.

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan said the change further enhances UAF's status.

"Growing the Arctic and Homeland Defense Center at UAF is a perfect way to draw on the world-class expertise we have right here at home to expand our presence and capabilities in the region," Murkowski said. "UAF has been the preeminent institution for Arctic research in the United States for decades, and I am confident this enhanced partnership will strengthen our defense capabilities in the High North."

Sullivan cited the announcement as continuing a string of positive federal developments.

"Along with the recently announced collaboration between UAF and the federal Defense Innovation Unit, as well as the critical minerals partnership with the National Science Foundation, this new agreement further cements UAF as a world-class hub for Arctic defense and research and is another milestone for Alaska's military comeback," Sullivan said.

UAF's Arctic expertise will prove valuable in helping with critical research and development, UARC Deputy Director David Schuster said.

"This change will drive potential job growth and raise UAF's national profile," Schuster said, noting that homeland defense is the primary mission of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. "UAF and its UARC will be directly supporting keeping our servicemembers and citizens safe in the face of increasingly aggressive adversaries."

"Not only does this present opportunities for increased funding," he said, "but it will solidify UAF as the go-to institution of mission-critical Arctic research in support of our nation."

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Robert McCoy, [email protected]

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