Formal 5- Year Agreement Aims to Help U.S. Air Force Keep Pace With, Acquire and Use Commercial Technology

AT&T* and the U.S. Air Force Academy are working together on networking services and advanced technology capabilities. They entered a 5-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) aimed at boosting the Air Force’s use of modern technology at a pace more like the commercial sector.

“Networking is a platform for innovation and mission support,” said Lt. Col. Michael Chiaramonte, director of Air Force CyberWorx at the Air Force Academy. “With access to AT&T’s resources, we plan to advance our academic and research objectives. By leveraging public-private partnerships with AT&T and our other industry partners, we improve our understanding and use of technology and, ultimately, improve the Air Force’s mission capabilities.”

The collaboration aims to:

• Offer knowledge and commercial best practices of cybersecurity, Internet of Things, and other AT&T-led innovations for the Air Force Academy faculty. Such innovations include Smart Base solutions, software-defined networking and 5G.
• Provide hands-on demonstrations for Academy cadets.
• Ensure AT&T has greater insight into the vision and technology needs of the U.S. Air Force.
• Explore opportunities beyond academic interests.

“Our work with the U.S. Air Force Academy will be much like an action-oriented academic ‘think tank.’ We’re here to help the Air Force keep pace with commercial innovation and pinpoint their current and future technology needs,” said Rocky Thurston, Client Executive VP, AT&T Public Sector.

Part of the Air Force’s larger mission

Partnerships fuel the Academy research program. There are 19 centers and 2 institutes, as well as cadets, faculty and industry all working together for the benefit of tomorrow’s Air Force. CyberWorx was established in 2016 as a public-private design center focused on cyber capability. It combines Air Force, academic and industry expertise with state of the art technology and innovative thinking to solve operational problems.