Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy (RITA)
A University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) of the US Department of Defense
at Howard University, Washington DC, USA
Championing Diversity and Innovation in Tactical Autonomy
Research. Develop. Evaluate. Deploy. Defend
The Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy (RITA) is a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) of the US Department of Defense, Department of Air Force that leverages the research and expertise of diverse faculty, staff, and student researchers from 9 collaborating universities throughout the United States to conduct research and development for secure, trustworthy and intelligent tactical autonomy with trustworthy artificial intelligence, collaborations between platforms and human-machine teaming. The RITA, establish in 2023 as consortium and led by the Howard University Washington DC, provides a national resource for a critical and diverse mass of tactical autonomy researchers.
At RITA, our mission is to be at the forefront of cutting-edge research and development in the field of tactical autonomy by developing partnerships between academia, government, and industry. We are committed to supporting the Department of Defense by advancing autonomous systems that operate with delegated and bounded authority of humans, strategically aligning tactical, short-term actions with a longer-term vision for national defense and security.
The objective of RITA is to develop and demonstrate autonomous technologies that will enable various Department of Defense (DOD) mission sets, with minimal supervision from human operators in environments that are complex and unpredictable with applications in Air, Space, Cyberspace, Ground and Sea. In doing so, the RITA will
Establish and maintain essential research and development capabilities for the Department of the Defense to deliver operationally relevant autonomy by catalyzing community growth by involving AI and autonomy research organizations
Accelerate RITA research and development through rapid transfer of its research to seed a unique science, research, and development ecosystem of small and large businesses, academia and the Department of Defense.
Transform AI and Autonomy practice throughout the government by creating innovative techniques, technologies, models, and tools that address critical challenges to meet mission outcomes.
Grow and diversify the available pool of scientists and engineers to support the Defense Department and establish a source of organic technical excellence.