Science, Technology, and Security

The exploitation of science and technology in the furtherance of the U.S. national security interests. Science and technology (S&T) development is obviously crucial to national security issues and to the international diplomatic agenda of the United States. The U.S. government, through the Department of State, frequently interacts with other governments under conditions in which technological capabilities are central to the deliberations. In addition, new technologies and scientific advances are critical to the maintenance of U.S. intelligence, military efforts, and antiterrorism strategies.

The Department of Defence (DoD)

Most of the science and technology efforts that are critical to national security are conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Anita Jones, Director of Defense Research and Engineering for DoD, reported that in 2005 the DoD funded 16 percent of the total federal investment in research and development. These activities include basic research, applied research, and development of advanced technology. Currently, most of the DoD emphasis is on the development of advanced technologies. The department dominates federal investment in areas including computer science; materials; electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering; and mathematics.

The DoD science and technology effort involves numerous agencies. These include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which developed the computer networking technology that led to creation of the Internet; the Defense Technical Information center (DTIC), which is responsible for the transfer of information among DoD personnel, defense contractors and potential contractors, and other government agencies; and the Information Science and Technology Directorate, which is responsible for exploring new technologies and determining the department's technology needs.

Responsibility for overseeing the DoD's technology efforts rests with the director of Defense Research and Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Individual research initiatives are managed by the Service Research Offices, which include the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Ballistic Missiles Defense Organization (BMDO), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Army Corps of Engineers (COE). The director of research also coordinates basic research activities with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal departments and agencies.

The State Department

The Department of State is responsible for ensuring that S&T considerations are integrated into U.S. foreign policy. It is also charged with identifying and exploiting opportunities for international cooperation involving the U.S. science community. Science and technology play a critical role in foreign policy discussions of topics such as nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, the use of outer space, population growth, adequate and safe food supplies, infectious diseases, energy resources, and the competitiveness of industrial technologies.

[Page 647]The Department of State has several internal departments involved in S&T issues. The Arms Control and Disarmament Agency is responsible for building sound science into national security policies such as arms control, export controls, and nonproliferation. The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) often leads international negotiations on issues such as the building and operation of an international space station or controlling substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer and cause global climate changes. OES has negotiated international umbrella agreements to create a network of advisory and regulatory mechanisms to protect oceans and fisheries.

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