UH snags $63.5M U.S. Army contract
School team will research using technology to improve decision-making capabilities
The University of Houston has received its largest contract ever – $63.5 million – to enhance the U.S. Army’s decisionmaking capabilities in competition with other nations.
The U.S. Department of Defense tasked a UH-led research team with using analytical modeling and simulation in areas including quantum technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Those insights will help commanders at all levels as the military works to remain ahead of its “adversaries” in combat, space and cyberspace, according to the university.
“We are not looking at what happens once bullets start flying. We are looking at what happens during the competition and crisis phases, the buildup and the posturing and the projection of forces before you actually get to the point of armed conflict,” said Craig Glennie, a UH professor of civil and environmental engineering who is leading the project.
“The Army needs tools to understand how they can effectively position themselves and project their force towards the adversary in such a manner that they can avoid armed conflict, or if that is not possible, be prepared for the onset of armed conflict,” Glennie said.
The team is aiding the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Analysis Center, known as DAC, building models, analysis and simulation tools for Army technologies. Some of the tools will analyze at the electromagnetic spectrum, how the Army might own the airspace and whether the Army has the radio frequency capabilities to jam neighbors’ signals.
Glennie, the director of engineering defense research initiatives at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, will also work with researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Mexico State University, among others.
The project begins after the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a major paper earlier this year on U.S. strategy, called “Joint Concept for Competing.” The chiefs of staff outlined its approach to competition as one that “does not always mean hostility and does not preclude cooperation. Nor does the United
States view strategic competition as an inevitable march to armed conflict.”
“This critical project reaffirms the University of Houston’s role as an innovation hub, where our researchers are making impactful strides in real-world applications,” said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, UH vice president of energy and innovation. “The stakes here are high, but we accept the challenge of advancing the frontiers of analytical modeling and simulation to assist the Army in an ever-evolving global landscape.”
UH leaders celebrated the contract on Monday. The university increased its research and development spending from 2021 to 2022, hitting $240 million in expenditures and $132 million in awards received, according to UH.
“We are immensely honored to have been awarded this important contract from the Department of Defense,” UH President Renu Khator said. “We understand the significance of this project in enhancing the Army’s decision-making capabilities, and we are proud to contribute to our nation’s security and strategic competitiveness. We look forward to the remarkable contributions that will emerge from this collaboration, strengthening the University of Houston’s commitment to driving innovation that matters.”