The Department of Defense, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Department of National Defence of Canada will continue to collaborate on the research, development, testing and evaluation of artificial intelligence technologies (AI), cyber, resilient systems and information technology.
The methodologies, algorithms, capabilities and tools created will be leveraged in developing new concepts of operations focused on real-world challenges.
The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will be the lead agency for the UK. Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) will be the lead organization on behalf of Canada.
This collaboration was motivated by the rapid pace of technological development and the challenges ahead in a constantly changing geopolitical environment. This effort will leverage relevant research programs across nations and reduce duplication.
Dr Nick Joad, Director of Science and Technology at the UK Ministry of Defence, said:
Our international research collaborations with the United States and Canada are among our most vital and enduring partnerships.
This agreement solidifies our collective commitments to advance emerging cybersecurity technologies, such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, to improve the defense and security of our nations.
Dstl Chief Executive Dr Paul Hollinshead said:
This partnership with two of our closest allies will help ensure the UK is secure at home and strong abroad, now and in the future.
Together, we are optimizing our respective taxpayer dollars while creating mission-critical capabilities through science and technology, thereby ensuring the security of our countries and our citizens.
DARPA Director Stefanie Tompkins added:
We know that we are stronger together than apart. The trilateral collaboration is a major step forward in building greater understanding in the priority areas of research and development outlined. Working with our international partners in science and technology helps us all leverage each other’s individual strengths to develop much greater collective capabilities.
DRDC Deputy Chief Minister Dr Jaspinder Komal said:
Due to the ubiquitous nature and rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in dual-use technologies with both civil and military applications, we have identified this as a priority area for defense research.
We are pleased to work with our allies in the United Kingdom and the United States on this trilateral agreement, which will potentially enable a host of cooperative research projects in the areas of cybersecurity and information.
In addition to strengthening international partnerships, the aim is to continue to reduce technological risks so that new capabilities can be operationally implemented as quickly as possible.
A research project already underway is Cyber Agents for Security Testing and Learning Environments (CASTLE) program that forms AI to autonomously defend networks against advanced persistent cyber threats.
Other areas of research and development interest include:
- human-AI teamwork, including military medical triage
- define and create trusting relationships AI systems, even in the face of attacks from skilled and well-resourced adversaries
- protect, detect attacks and measure the health of the information domain
- produce tools and techniques that result in more resilient and secure systems, such as rapid software certification
Collaboration on these and other topics was further explored at a symposium hosted by DARPA in the summer of 2024, which included representatives from the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
