Department of Defense Science and Technology Forum
On April 18, in a forum at the Naval Research Laboratory, officials overseeing science and technology programs for the Department of Defense described their plans and funding requests for the coming fiscal year. Anita Jones, Director of Defense Research and Engineering for all of DOD, gave a general overview. The Defense Department, she reported, funds 16 percent of the total federal investment in research and development. R&D within the department (which does not include testing and evaluation) is characterized as Basic Research (category 6.1); Applied Research (6.2), and Advanced Technology Development (6.3). DOD’s FY 1998 request for R&D totals $7.4 billion. However, Jones said, most of its emphasis is on development of technologies. She called the department “a bit player” in research funding, although it dominates the federal investment in such areas as computer science; materials; electrical, mechanical and civil engineering; and mathematics.
Jones reported that defense science and technology has experienced a drop in buying power of 18 percent (in constant dollars) over the past four years. In the FY 1998 request, R&D funding would decline from FY 1997, but basic research would be increased. She described the department’s philosophy as an attempt to “preferentially protect research.” If there is not enough money to do everything, she said, research is the best investment “to leave a strong legacy for those who follow.... Research is the foundation of acquisition and technology.” She noted that of the services, the Navy, with its Office of Naval Research and Naval Research Laboratory, has the largest investment in basic (6.1) research.
The Navy’s FY 1998 R&D request is: $382.1 million for Basic Research, 8.5 percent above the FY 1997 appropriation; $490.3 million for Applied Research, 8.3 percent below the FY 1997 level; and $433.3 million for Advanced Technology Development, 13.5 percent below the FY 1997 level. (Funding comparisons are not in constant dollars.) The Chief of Naval Research, Paul Gaffney, said naval basic research funding had dropped 22 percent in real terms since FY 1993. Pointing to the requested increase for 6.1, he announced that “this is the year to strengthen basic research.” He said this was his top priority, since it was “the most broken.” Gaffney provided the following statistics: of the Navy’s basic research funding, 56 percent is performed in universities, 38 percent is performed in naval laboratories, and 6 percent is performed by industry. Of applied research, industry performs 47 percent, naval labs perform 44 percent, and universities perform 9 percent. Industry performs 59 percent of advanced technology development, while the labs perform about 29 percent and universities, 12 percent.
The Army’s FY 1998 request includes: $198.9 million for Basic Research, an 11.1 percent increase above FY 1997; $463.0 million for Applied Research, a 16.1 percent decline from FY 1997; and $418.3 million for Advanced Technology Development, a 38.3 percent decline from FY 1997 (not in constant dollars.) Fenner Milton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, said his service has experienced a 21 percent decline in R&D funding since FY 1993. Because of tighter budgets, he explained, Army science and technology was focusing more on dual-use technologies, upgrades rather than new systems, closer coupling among projects rather than independent efforts, and both intramural and extramural partnerships.
The Air Force FY 1998 request includes: $226.8 million for Basic Research, a 7.6 percent increase over FY 1997; $593.4 million for Applied Research, a decline of 9.3 percent from FY 1997; and $402.3 million for Advanced Technology Development, a 15.0 percent reduction from FY 1997 (not in constant dollars.) Helmut Helwig, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology and Engineering, reported that industry performs about 50 percent of the Air Force R&D, but only about 10 percent of the basic research. Intramural labs perform 25 percent of all R&D and just under 25 percent of basic. Universities perform 25 percent of all R&D as well as the majority - 75 percent - of the basic research.
Larry Lynn, Director of DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) said his agency’s mission involves exploring high-risk concepts with potentially high payoffs. DARPA spends most of its funding on advanced technologies, and very little on basic research. Instead, he said, it relies on industry, academia, and groups like the Defense Science Board and Jason for input on concepts to develop for the long term. The FY 1998 request for DARPA is: $76.0 million for Basic Research, a reduction of 16.2 percent from FY 1997; $829.9 million for Applied Research, an increase of 16.9 percent over FY 1997; and $1,256.7 million for Advanced Technology Development, a 3.2 percent decrease from FY 1997 (not in constant dollars.)
Further information on DOD science and technology plans and programs is available on the Internet at http://www.dtic.mil/ddre
