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Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes (2003)

Chapter: Appendix A: Section 253, National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (Public Law 107-107)

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Section 253, National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (Public Law 107-107)." National Research Council. 2003. Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10720.
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Page 45
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Section 253, National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (Public Law 107-107)." National Research Council. 2003. Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10720.
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Page 46
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Section 253, National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (Public Law 107-107)." National Research Council. 2003. Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10720.
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Page 47

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Appendixes

Appendix A Section 253, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-107) SEC. 253. STUDY AND REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF AIR FORCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM CHANGES. (a) REQUIREMENT. The Secretary of the Air Force, in cooperation with the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, shall carry out a study to determine how the changes to the Air Force science and tech- nology program implemented during the past two years af- fect the future capabilities of the Air Force. (b) MATTERS STUDIED. (1) The study shall review and assess whether such changes as a whole are sufficient to ensure the following: (A) That the concerns about the management of the science and technology program that have been raised by Congress, the Defense Science Board, the Air Force Sci- ence Advisory Board, and the Air Force Association have been adequately addressed. (B) That appropriate and sufficient technology is available to ensure the military superiority of the United States and counter future high-risk threats. (C) That the science and technology investments are balanced to meet the near-, mid-, and long-term needs of the Air Force. (D) That technologies are made available that can be used to respond flexibly and quickly to a wide range of future threats. (E) That the Air Force organizational structure pro- vides for a sufficiently senior level advocate of science and technology to ensure an ongoing, effective presence of the science and technology community during the budget and planning process. 47 (2) In addition, the study shall assess the specific changes to the Air Force science and technology program as follows: (A) Whether the biannual science and technology summits provide sufficient visibility into, and understand- ing and appreciation of, the value of the science and tech- nology program to the senior level of Air Force budget and policy decision-makers. (B) Whether the applied technology councils are effective in contributing the input of all levels beneath the senior leadership into the coordination, focus, and con- tent of the science and technology program. (C) Whether the designation of the commander of the Air Force Materiel Command as the science and tech- nology budget advocate is effective to ensure that an ad- equate Air Force science and technology budget is re- quested. (D) Whether the revised development planning pro- cess is effective to aid in the coordination of the needs of the Air Force warfighters with decisions on science and technology investments and the establishment of priori- ties among different science and technology programs. (E) Whether the implementation of section 252 of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as enacted into law by Public Law 106-398; 114 Stat.1654A-46) is effective to identify the basis for the appropriate science and technology program funding level and investment portfolio. (c) REPORT. Not later than May 1,2003, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to Congress the results of the study.

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Under mandate of Section 253, Study and Report on Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes, of the Fiscal Year 2002 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Air Force contracted with the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct the present study. In response, the NRC established the Committee on Review of the Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes—composed of academics, active and retired industry executives, former Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian executives, and retired general officers with acquisition and science and technology (S&T) backgrounds. The committee was to review the effectiveness of the Air Force S&T program and, in particular, the actions that the Air Force has taken to improve the management of the program in recent years in response to concerns voiced in numerous study reports and by Congress. The committee's principal charter was to assess whether, as a whole, the changes put in place by the Air Force since 1999 are sufficient to assure that adequate technology will be available to ensure U.S. military superiority. The committee conducted four open meetings to collect information from the Air Force and its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), the U.S Navy, the U.S. Army, and DoD. A great many factors influence any judgment of the S&T program's sufficiency in supporting future warfighter needs; these factors include threat assessment, budget constraints, technology opportunities, workforce, and program content. Given the relatively short time available for this study and considering the detailed reviews conducted annually by the SAB, the technical content of the S&T program was necessarily beyond the committee's purview. Rather, the committee focused on S&T management, including areas that have been studied many times, in depth, by previous advisory groups. Besides addressing technical content, those prior studies and congressional concerns highlighted four overarching S&T issues: advocacy and visibility, planning, workforce, and investment levels. In response, the Air Force instituted changes in S&T management.

The NRC is requested to conduct a study to determine how changes to the Air Force science and technology program implemented during the past two years affect the future capabilities of the Air Force. Effectiveness of Air Force Science and Technology Program Changes reviews and assess whether such changes as a whole are sufficient to ensure the following:

A. That concerns about the management of the science and technology program that have been raised by the Congress, the Defense Science Board, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and the Air Force Association have been adequately addressed.

B. That appropriate and sufficient technology is available to ensure the military superiority of the United States and counter future high-risk threats.

C. That the science and technology investments are balanced to meet near-, mid-, and long-term needs of the Air Force.

D. That the Air Force organizational structure provides for a sufficiently senior level advocate of science and technology to ensure an ongoing, effective presence of the science and technology community during the budget and planning process.

This report also assess the specific changes to the Air Force science and technology program as whether the biannual science and technology summits provide sufficient visibility into, and understanding and appreciation of, the value of the science and technology program to the senior level of Air Force budget and policy decision makers.

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