Research and Development

Research and development has been and remains a key focus of both the U.S. government and the military. As a world leader in military technology—to say nothing of nonmilitary technology—the U.S. research and development (R&D) infrastructure is one of the finest in the world. Supported on every level from government contracts to industrial production to corporate think tanks and American innovators, the system of R&D in the United States leads the world in technology innovation. Modern militaries rely heavily on advanced R&D; the U.S. military continues this historical trend. Since World War II, the U.S. military can be characterized by its high-technology to compensate for fewer numbers. The U.S. military historically relies on technology rather than manpower.

Research is the search for new solutions to existing problems. Research can be further divided into pure and applied. Pure research is often unguided exploration of possible technologies without a specific direction. A current example is battlefield microwave technology, which may or may not pay off in actual weapons systems. However, pure research often yields spin-off technology that is useful for military or commercial uses; in this case, microwave ovens and microwave radar. Applied research is investigation into specific battlefield problems, with the intention of providing answers. Applied research is the more common of the two, where scientists and researchers try to find solutions to existing problems. Examples include counterimprovised explosive device technologies, hypersonics, fuels research, and ballistics. Development is simply putting successful research into production for use in the field. This entry examines the functions and activities of R&D as they pertain to the U.S. government and military.