The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center are collaborating to tackle challenges in national defense and maritime security.
The two parties signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding that builds on a previous agreement from 2019, Johns Hopkins APL said Thursday.
Under the MOU, APL and RDC will work together to develop initiatives in fields such as:
- Additive manufacturing
- Autonomous operations
- Cyber defense
- Critical infrastructure protection
- Human factors engineering
- Humanitarian assistance and disaster response
- Sensor optimization
- Supply chain assurance
The two organizations will also conduct joint research and development projects to further bolster maritime security and safety. This will allow APL staff members to observe the practical application of their technical work in the field.
The MOU enables APL to run a yearly workshop with RDC where they can talk about R&D perspectives, share project updates and discuss possible collaborations in the future. The Coast Guard, meanwhile, will provide field support for APL projects and help their staff members understand the maritime operational environment and the possible challenges they may encounter.
Tim Galpin, assistant director of APL, noted the importance of the MOU: “This agreement strengthens APL’s ties with the U.S. Coast Guard, and further enhances our ability to address critical maritime security challenges for the nation. We expect this continued collaboration with the Coast Guard RDC to drive innovation and enable a range of resourceful ideas and technical solutions to their pressing challenges.”
Capt. Michael Chien, RDC commanding officer, highlighted the longstanding relationship between the two organizations, describing it as one of the strongest links to the expansive national security enterprise.
“Renewing our MOU with APL is a cornerstone of our external partnership network. RDC has actively engaged with APL on a wide range of projects from cybersecurity, autonomous vessel operation and critical infrastructure protection to participation in Coast Guard Evergreen, our service’s strategic foresight program,” Chien said.
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