Defense Science Board 2001 Summer Study on Defense Science and Technology

摘要

The Department of Defense is fundamentally transforming its strategy, policies, and forces. This transformation is motivated by a vastly different security environment that has emerged over the last decade. Where once a single monolithic threat-the Soviet Union-dominated the nation's security planning and programming, today's environment comprises a broader, more diffuse set of concerns: terrorism, biological warfare, regional tensions, and an array of other transnational challenges. It is an environment characterized by uncertainty, but more importantly by a rapid pace of change. Transformation of the Department of Defense must be enabled by a transformation of its science and technology enterprise, which is so critical to its superior warfare capabilities. If the Department fails to adapt to the pace of technological change, fails to rapidly integrate new and breakthrough technologies into its operational systems, or fails to sustain a research and development environment that fosters innovation, the United States stands in danger of losing what today is a significant lead in military capability. Assuring that the United States continues to gain access to and develop technology from which to gain military advantage is the subject of this report.