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Strategic Planning Document -
National Security
1. The Vision
As we implement the President's science and technology
priorities, the vision of the Committee for National Security is
to better couple science and technology to the full spectrum of
U.S. national security: enhancing our military effectiveness,
strengthening our economy, and fostering global stability.
The advance of science and its successful application to human
problems are hallmarks of the twentieth century. Influencing
every aspect of our lives, science and technology also make vital
contributions to national security. We must continue to apply
our scientific resources to support freedom and secure a
prosperous future for the American people.
Changes in the global political landscape brought on by the
end of the Cold War have had profound effects on American
security interests. The military threat itself has changed from
a relatively monolithic one to a fragmented and uncertain set of
potential regional threats at home and abroad. Science and
technology are driving a revolution in military capability across
a broad front of concepts, technologies and functions. This
revolution, coupled with worldwide diffusion of technical
knowledge and proliferation of weapons technology, raises new and
unprecedented challenges to United States national security
interests. No less profound changes have occurred in the
economic security landscape. In the post-Cold War era, U.S.
economic security interests are inseparable from our national
security interests. In the years ahead, we must leverage to our
benefit not only the possibilities offered by the synergy between
military and economic strength, but also the value of investing
in the prevention of conflict. Technological superiority has
been and will continue to be a pillar of our national security
strategy. Accordingly, we must maintain our ability to credibly
deter and defeat aggression in the face of the new threats, new
challenges, new demands, and new opportunities of the dynamic
world in which we live.
Science and technology support national security in three
important ways. First, technological superiority is a
characteristic of our military advantage. Second, a vital high
technology industrial sector enhances our nation's economic
strength while providing the technology base that underpins
future advanced military capabilities. Third, science and
technology play a significant role in our efforts to build global
stability and prevent conflict. International science and
technology activities can encourage the development of free
market democracies around the world, engaging them in the global
economy, and helping to create new markets for U.S. goods and
services. Science and technology can also help address global
problems that are often at the root of conflict, such as
overpopulation, poverty, environmental degradation, and disease.
The revolution in and proliferation of weapons technology and
expanding security challenges in an environment of limited
resources demand an integrated federal government strategy for
addressing national security science and technology needs.
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