Mason Korea's Industry–University Collaboration Foundation is taking its defense capabilities to the next level. They recently signed a memorandum of understanding with two major Korean players, the Association of the Republic of Korea Army and the Defense Information and Communication Association. Together, they'll work on developing advanced defense information and communications technology (ICT) and command, control, communications, computing, cyber, and intelligence (C5I) systems.
"Aligned with Korea's national objective of becoming a leading AI power by 2026, this collaboration will leverage the C5I Korea Center's strengths with the operational expertise of the Defense Information and Communication Association and the military practitioners of the Association of the Republic of Korea Army," said Insub Shin, who directs the C5I Korea Center and leads the Defense Information Communication Association.
At the heart of this collaboration is the C5I Korea Center, a local extension of George Mason's C5I Center in Virginia. The center will serve as ground zero for joint research, education, and industry partnerships focused on ICT, cyber capabilities, and artificial intelligence.
The partnership's roadmap is packed: collaborative research on C5I systems tailored for Korea, a "C5I-AI Convergence" exhibit at next year's Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition, and building bridges between the military, industry, academia, and civilian sectors through professional education programs and workshops.
For Mason Campus Dean Joshua Park, the partnership represents a chance to blend the campus' strengths in data science and AI with real-world defense applications.
"Through practical training and partnerships across military, academic, and industry sectors, we aim to cultivate professionals who can support digital transformation and AI-enabled missions," Park said.
The opening ceremony for the new center will take place during Mason Korea’s spring semester, which begins March 3.