Story of the Defense Technical Information Center 1945 - 1995, 50 Years ofInformation for Defense

摘要

In 1995, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) celebrates 50 years ofexcellence in information service to the Department of Defense and, by extension to the Nation. The writing of this commemorative history was undertaken to pull together into one volume the story of that service: to relate how the Center began into what it is and, further, to suggest what we believe the future may hold for DTIC. The DTIC 50th Anniversary History is based on diverse sources including internal documents of the Center and its predecessor organizations, as well as published documents in both the Technical Reports collection, pictorial archives, and the open literature. Just as importantly, it draws upon the interviews with many persons who themselves participated in the events, technological advances, and policy-making decisions that were significant in the evolution of the Center, DTIC was established in 1945 as the Air Documents Division to collect and catalog World War 2 scientific and technical documents (including those captured from Germany and Japan). Today we are the central facility for the Department of Defense in the acquisition, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and use of scientific, technical, and engineering information. DTIC serves as the vital link in transferring such data among the defense-related government and civilian research and development communities.