18th Airborne Corps Partners With Academia to Address Military Tech Problems

The 18th Airborne Corps has signed agreements with six universities to achieve its goal of becoming an artificial intelligence-ready unit.

Students from partner institutions, namely Vanderbilt University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Duke University, Syracuse University, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of North Carolina System, will have the opportunity to work on Army projects. At the same time, soldiers will be invited to campuses to teach courses.

The goal is to encourage students specializing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to address military tech problems, FedScoop reported Monday.

Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for the corps, said in an interview that each agreement is tailored to meet the unit’s needs and leverage what the university has to offer.

For instance, the partnership with Georgia Tech allows students to earn school credits by working on the corps’ projects. The agreement also gives soldiers the chance to teach courses or assist in course design at the campus.

Col. Molly Solsbury, the corps’ chief data officer, said in a statement that the agreements are people-focused and are intended to build a foundation for a culture of innovation.

Headquartered at Fort Bragg in California, the 18th Airborne Corps rapidly deploys battle-ready forces globally by air, land or sea. It is dubbed as “America’s Contingency Corps” as it is required to field soldiers within 18 hours’ notice.

In 2020, the unit launched Project Ridgway, a modernization effort aimed at fielding new technologies and developing cultures that support them.