MSU secures prestigious defense grant, ranks among elite institutions
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University has been awarded one of just seven inaugural Defense Security Cooperation University grants, funding research to evaluate a critical component of the military arms ecosystem: capabilities that are reused, refurbished, dated or discounted, known as R2D2. This research aims to position the U.S. as a leader in the value arms industry
Leading the nearly $400,000 grant at MSU is Benjamin Tkach, associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He is joined by Vasabjit Banerjee, a former MSU faculty member now at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Their project, “The Value Arms Ecosystem: New Data on Stockpiles, Production Capacity, and Transfers,” will expand understanding of the value arms ecosystem.
“Most states rely on the value arms market, or VAM, to equip parts or all of their military. Russia dominates the market, with China showing signs of growing influence,” Tkach said. “Our research will analyze the dynamics of VAM, identifying opportunities for the U.S. to strengthen its partnerships and counter adversarial strategies.”
He continued, “Value arms can be either new or old, but their defining trait is that they are not at the cutting edge of technology. These are the weapons and systems used by most of the world, yet they remain understudied. Current research often focuses on advanced, high-cost weapons like aircraft. Our study addresses significant gaps in the understanding of global military supply ecosystems.”
Joining MSU in receiving the inaugural DSCU grants are Boston University, Clemson, Georgetown, Georgia State, Northwestern, NATO, the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval War College and University of Pittsburgh.
The DSCU’s Young Institute oversees this sponsored research, ensuring it provides practical, policy-relevant insights for global practitioners. The institute is committed to funding and disseminating high-quality research on security cooperation.
For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and its Department of Political Science and Public Administration, visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.pspa.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.