Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Heliordant t1_j5odvck wrote

Are they sure this is the first time black people have been used for military research?

48

ItsRainingTrees t1_j5ok0nm wrote

No matter your race, gender identity, sexuality, upbringings, or ethnicity, everyone has the capacity to create WMDs 😌

362

not_a_gumby t1_j5oljgv wrote

the death empire of capitalism spreads the wealth. what a fun story.

−5

Talkshowhostt t1_j5onh63 wrote

Dang, that's pretty neat. Not a small contract either.

19

jlboygenius t1_j5opuii wrote

somebody's gonna meet their HBCU/MI small business goals this year.

FYI, in case people don't work in contracting. Many large government contractors have to submit a small business plan for how they are going to spread out the money to subcontractors.

Small business, women owned, veteran owned, service disabled veteran owned, Alaskan native, and Historically black colleges and universities are categories.

I HIGHLY doubt this is the first government military research work they have done. Likely it's been as a sub to someone else.

44

TheTickledPickle_ t1_j5oq2t6 wrote

I love stories like this…this sub is filled with people who resemble the two buttons meme - happy for “equality” or angry because militaristic capitalism.

27

GaryHart2024 t1_j5oqajf wrote

This seems like a good thing. DoD money getting to HBCUs just makes sense, and it seems this won't stop solely at Howard.

>Howard will lead a consortium of universities that includes Jackson State, Delaware State, Bowie State, Norfolk State, Hampton, Florida Memorial and Tougaloo College.

DoD research is more than weapons, it's health and general innovation. This seems like a massive opportunity, and I hope Howard is able to make the best of it.

119

cleverSkies t1_j5oqe9u wrote

Replying to Talkshowhostt (#1,467,109)

This is definitely a huge accomplishment that will help promote and develop their research capacity and STEM degree programs (not just at Howard but a few other HBCUs). Sad that most of the comments here are snarky instead of celebrating the successes of an HBCU that always seem to get the short end of the stick.

23

jlboygenius t1_j5oufax wrote

Replying to cleverSkies (#1,467,509)

seems like the HBCU small business goals are working then. The goal is to help small business get work and learn from the big boys so they can go out on their own. And also so that the $ are spread out and don't just go to the big contractors.

−3

sprint113 t1_j5p0vsa wrote

Replying to GaryHart2024 (#1,467,447)

Yup. Don't know exactly what this DOD contract entails, but remember that the DOD is both one of the largest employers in the US as well as one of the largest healthcare providers. A place I worked at once had a DOD grant for researching ways to improve detection and treatment of breast cancers.

Edit: saw the non-paywall link, looks like it will be for AI systems

39

Mateorabi t1_j5p47h9 wrote

Replying to jlboygenius (#1,467,393)

Done correctly they’re great. But often they get a token “owner” to partner with them JUST to get those set asides. Or the company is just a middle man who adds 10% overhead with no value added—a straw purchaser who takes an extra cut making the material cost higher for no reason.

12

GaryHart2024 t1_j5p4vqq wrote

Replying to Mateorabi (#1,468,812)

>The center will be focused on tactical autonomy technology for military systems and Howard University will receive $12 million per year for five years to fund research, faculty and students.

Looks like more of an AI focus.

18

jlboygenius t1_j5p58xk wrote

Replying to Mateorabi (#1,468,892)

oh 100%. I know of Alaskan Native corporations that are based in NoVA. They use the alaskan name and give the profits back to the alaskan native tribe. As long as the company meets its agreed payments, they do basically whatever they want. no one from the tribe works at the company, they just lend out their name.

I also had a software company suggest that we just buy through an alaskan native since then the contract could be executed in days. If we went through the vendor it would have to be a real bid/compete process.

10

ch36u3v4r4 t1_j5pf71q wrote

Black capitalism may not have worked but maybe a black military industrial complex will.

2

eatwearnest t1_j5pnwzw wrote

HU, you know!

Edit: I love how these folks are downvoting us alumni. It’s so comical and predictable.

−3

IreallEwannasay t1_j5pq95i wrote

Military grade Helly Hanson suit, let's go! Seriously, though this is cool as hell.

−1

CL_REInvestor t1_j5pt4ke wrote

Proud alumni here. This is great for the Howard community.

1

ocaesar t1_j5pz2dy wrote

Replying to annang (#1,469,012)

Russians are black and brown, wow.

Also, capitalizing “Black” specifically refers to Black Americans as they are a distinct group within the US. Not to people who are black skinned.

The Washington Post also missed the point entirely by capitalizing “White”.

5

illumantimess t1_j5qs5f1 wrote

I’m reminded of that comic of civilians in an Arab country being bombed but being proud because the cia director who ordered it is a woman

3

ReadingKing t1_j5qyqiz wrote

Bro this ain’t a good thing. Freaking neolibs out here with the worst takes

1

Amori_A_Splooge t1_j5r2u9c wrote

Replying to sprint113 (#1,468,541)

I have an aunt that works at National Cancer Institute at NIH. In the partial shutdown (2019?) her entire lab was operating as business as usual because dod and milcon/VA approps had been signed into law and her lab's entire operating budget was DOD funds.

DOD's non-defebse funding a absolutely dwarfs other cabinet agencies entire budgets.

8

sandman_42 t1_j5r645h wrote

People shitting on this don't understand the impact of these kinds of grants in regards to the clout and legitimacy they lend to universities. No it's not going to solve racism or fix Howard's issues (I'd have settled for a functional heat/AC system in the Inabel social work building but that's just me) but it does provide some well deserved prestige and attention to an important black institution and the best HBCU in the country*

*U know

11

Amori_A_Splooge t1_j5rydk7 wrote

Replying to EstablishmentFull797 (#1,478,161)

Yes and no. A lot of it is the function that the National Defense Authorization Act has passed some 65+ years in a row in Congress and you won't find another authorization bill that is likely going to pass every year. So if you want something to be done, get DoD to do it in the NDAA. Then again, DoD should pay for medical research for diseases, illnesses, and injuries that are prevalent in military members veterans (This is also budgetary blackhole, of endless ways to spend money, but the dollars are very significant in terms of making an impact for these specific diseases. As a result you get research lists like that of the appropriately named Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. As others have pointed out, there are also a lot of controls on DoD dollars in terms of Buy American provisions, so money is [generally] going into DoD for procurement or research tends to stay in American companies or American institutions.

Is it too much. Possibly, but it's not all bombs and bullets.

6