The U.S. Space Force is collaborating with academia under its University Partnership Program to achieve dominance in the space domain, protect U.S. space assets from adversarial threats, and ensure the stability of the outer space environment.
The University of Texas at Austin is the latest addition to the set of universities that established strategic partnerships with the Space Force under the UPP initiative to support the recruitment and training of a diverse workforce, Alcalde reported Saturday.
The university will help the Space Force train the next generation of recruits and support the military branch with research and innovation, according to Seth Wilk, the director of defense research advancement in UT’s Office of Vice President of Research.
Wilk said that UT would also help address workforce shortages by familiarizing students in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program with emerging research topics that will be beneficial to landing jobs at the Department of Defense.
The Space Force is more interested in developing a technology-focused workforce to counter hacking and jamming attacks on satellite communications, secure communications between satellites and build enhanced surveillance tools.
The UPP effort also includes the University of North Dakota, the University of Southern California, Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University, the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado Springs, UT El Paso, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of Texas system.