FYI Number 142: November 29, 2001

House Passes FY 2002 Appropriation for Defense S&T

The House of Representatives yesterday passed its version of the FY 2002 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill. Total funding for basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development would fall 3.5% from last year's level under this legislation. H.R. 3338 now goes to the Senate, which is expected to take up its own version of this bill within the next week.

Under this House bill:

Total Basic Research (6.1) funding would decline 0.2%, or $3 million, to $1,314 million.
Total Applied Research (6.2) funding would decline 9.6%, or $353 million, to $3,323 million.
Total Advanced Research (6.3) funding would increase 0.9%, or $37 million, to $4,036 million.
Total S&T (6.1 + 6.2 + 6.3) funding would decline 3.5%, or $319 million, to $8,673 million.

Army Basic Research funding would increase 13.3%, or $28 million, to $238 million.
Army Applied Research funding would increase 3.5%, or $29 million, to $852 million.
Army Advanced Technology Development funding would increase 17.8%, or $145 million, to $960 million.
Total Army S&T funding would increase 10.9%, or $202 million, to $2,050 million.

Navy Basic Research funding would increase 1.3%, or $5 million, to $399 million.
Navy Applied Research funding would increase 5.6%, or $37 million, to $696 million.
Navy Advanced Technology Development funding would increase 4.6%, or $36 million, to $822 million.
Total Navy S&T funding would increase 4.2%, or $78 million, to $1,917 million.

Air Force Basic Research funding would increase 6.6%, or $14 million, to $227 million.
Air Force Applied Research funding would increase 15.8%, or $104 million, to $761 million.
Air Force Advanced Technology Development funding would decline 4.1%, or $24 million, to $563 million.
Total Air Force S&T funding would increase 6.5%, or $94 million, to $1,551 million.

S&T funding for the three services did better than that for the Defense Wide account. Defense Wide funding provides for programs such as DARPA, and should not be confused with aggregate Department of Defense spending. The Defense Wide numbers are as follows:

Defense Wide Basic Research funding would decline 10.0%, or $50 million, to $450 million.
Defense Wide Applied Research funding would decline 33.9%, or $519 million, to $1,014 million.
Defense Wide Advanced Technology Development funding would decline 6.6%, or $120 million, to $1,691 million.
Total Defense Wide funding would decline 17.9%, or $689 million, to $3,155 million.

The committee report language on Defense Wide programs accompanying the bill states under the heading, "Center for Nanosciences Innovation" the following: "The Committee recognizes that to realize the full potential of nanoscience and technology, major and fundamental scientific advances need to be made to isolate, detect, communicate and manipulate individual atoms and molecules. Such advances will lead to the ultimate level of performance in electronic, chemical, biological and material systems. Accordingly, the Committee has provided $10,000,000 to be executed by the Defense Microelectronics Agency for the establishment of a Center for Nanosciences Innovation to pursue defense applications."

In addition, also under the Defense Wide section, there was committee report language on spintronics, in a section entitled, "Spin Electronics Program": "The Committee is aware that DARPA's spin electronics program has the potential to produce a whole new generation of electronic devices with performance far greater than what is achievable with conventional electronics today. The Committee is also aware that because spin electronics design and manufacturing are compatible with existing semiconductor infrastructures, it promises to reach maturation well ahead of other known nanoelectronics technology approaches. Accordingly, the Committee has transferred $15,000,000 from University Research Initiatives to Defense Research Sciences to augment existing planned spin electronics programs and to accelerate development in this important new generation of electronics technology."

Richard M. Jones
Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
(301) 209-3095

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