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Records pertain to the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
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285791519
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University - General [1990]
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285791519
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document
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University - General [1990]
description
Records pertain to the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
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62032-014
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Records of the White House Office of Science and Technology (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Allan D. Bromley Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
2005-0336-F
2005-0336-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Science and Technology Policy, Office of (OSTP)
Series:
Bromley, D. Allan, Files
Subseries:
Education Files
OA/ID Number:
62032
Folder ID Number:
62032-014
Folder Title:
University - General [1990]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
0
0
0
0
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
May 31, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
FROM:
D. ALLAN BROMLEY, ON BEHALF OF THE
PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL OF ADVISORS ON SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
SUBJECT:
DOD-UNIVERSITY RELATIONSHIP
The pace of change around the globe is so fast and so profound that our defense-related
research must be both broad and deep. We must prepare for the unexpected. This
means searching for new knowledge whose application is not immediately obvious and
investing in our most flexible resource, people. Accordingly, the Council was pleased to
learn from Mr. Atwood that the Department places high priority on maintaining the
strength of its technology base-especially the so-called 6.1 and 6.2 programs. We
applaud the wisdom of such long-term strategic planning.
In this regard, we draw attention to an opportunity and a need: the rebuilding of the
DoD-University partnership.
During the Second World War, and immediately thereafter, the relationship between
DoD and academe was a robust one. During the decade of the '60s, in response to
Sputnik, the DoD strengthened that relationship further through a broad thrust in
science and technology emphasizing both new knowledge and the education of scientists
and engineers. New interdisciplinary programs were created at research universities,
helping to advance new fields such as artificial intelligence, computing and materials
science and engineering. The latter, for example, produced whole new classes of
materials, including polymer composites, rapidly solidified metals, sensor materials and
new laser materials.
Equally important was the training of thousands of graduate students, who have
dedicated their careers to national security, energy sufficiency, environmental protection
and industrial competitiveness. A large portion of the nation's technical leaders received
their graduate education through DoD support. This support of research and education
was a wise investment. The new technologies that have emerged have become essential
to DoD and to the nation as a whole in ways not anticipated at the time.
For a variety of reasons, the DoD-university partnership has weakened during the past
two decades.
In this changing world, we urge that DoD return to its important role in stimulating
more Americans to become scientists and engineers and in creating new knowledge.
Such an effort would be fully consistent with the President's initiatives in education and
basic research. We believe that a rebuilding of the DoD-academe bridges that served
the nation so well in the post World War II period will prove equally important in the
decades ahead.
cc: The President