Howard University has become the first historically black college or university to lead one of the Department of Defense‘s university-affiliated research centers under a finalized agreement with the Department of the Air Force.

DOD said Monday that Howard University will receive $12 million annually over the next five years to fund research, faculty and students at the new research center, which will focus on developing autonomous military systems.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, a three-time Wash100 Award winner, announced the science research partnership aimed at maintaining DAF’s research and development capabilities to develop tactical autonomy technologies.

“Autonomous systems make our military faster, smarter, and more combat-credible,” Austin said. 

He added that such systems provide commanders with relevant information to make informed decisions.

Howard University will also lead a consortium of HBCUs to conduct research and development projects aimed at identifying practical applications of autonomous technology under a five-year, $90 million contract awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The Congressional Budget Office found that the U.S. budgetary deficit will be reduced by up to $865.4 billion by 2032 if the government imposes taxes on greenhouse gas emissions starting this year.

The agency on Monday released figures on the budgetary effects of climate change and how different options to tax carbon emissions would decrease federal deficit in the long term.

Joseph Kile, CBO assistant director for microeconomic studies, presented the findings on Monday to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

According to the report, federal spending on hurricane damage is projected to surpass economic growth rate by the year 2075. The percentage of U.S. population that will be affected by substantial hurricanes is slated to increase from 1.2 million this year to 10 million by 2075.

Climate change has been hampering gross domestic product since 2020, and is expected to continue reducing GDP by 0.03 percentage points until 2050, CBO stated.

To progressively lower federal deficit from 2023 to 2032, CBO presented taxation options such as a $25 tariff per metric ton of GHG footprint, combined with either a 5 percent or 2 percent annual tax increase, or the same per-metric ton tax — but excluding gasoline — combined with a 2 percent annual tax hike.

A new report suggests that in order to reach the 30-gigawatt offshore wind energy target by 2030, the U.S. government needs to identify new locations and consider incentive mechanisms for supply chain development.

The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium published a supply chain roadmap as a preview to the full project summary that will be released in late winter, the Department of Energy said Monday.

The roadmap includes short-, medium- and long-term actions to secure offshore wind supply. To build its foundation, the consortium recommends convening working groups to study regional and holistic supply chain development. 

To gain momentum, major facilities need to be built and metrics for early-stage commercial-scale projects need to be established and evaluated. In the long run, the country must boost domestic production to fill manufacturing gaps, NOWRDC stated.

The study was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and involves DOE, DNV, the Business Network for Offshore Wind, Maryland Energy Administration and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

“Developing our nation’s vast offshore wind resources will provide reliable clean energy to coastal communities and help us reach our climate goals. It also presents a significant opportunity to create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs and expand domestic manufacturing across the country,” said Alejandro Moreno, DOE’s acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. “With the help of the roadmap laid out in this report, we can catalyze progress to realize this immense potential.”

The Department of Defense has issued a second commercial solutions opening for its ongoing Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities project.

The notice posted by the Defense Innovation Unit stated that the CSO will focus on prototyping novel hypersonic technologies using the modular payload capability developed from HyCAT I, which was launched in September.

DIU is seeking companies that can deliver cost-effective, rapid and reusable hypersonic testing platforms, preferably with alternative guidance, navigation, control and communications systems. They should also feature propulsion capabilities such as air breathing and combined cycle functionalities.

Proposed technologies should support integration onto HyCAT I vehicles currently used by the DOD. They must be compatible with Mach 5+ aircraft, suitable for remote deployment and able to accommodate at least two payloads, among other requirements.

The CSO is open to local and international companies that can comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The deadline for submission is on Feb. 6.