Finding 10. Universities, government laboratories, and industry have overlapping roles in basic research: Universities primarily address the creation of broad new knowledge and human competencies, and Department of Defense laboratories and industry are more sharply focused on discovery tied more directly to identified DOD needs.

Finding 11. A clear understanding of the value expected from basic research across its full range provides the most reliable assurance of long-term Department of Defense leadership support for the basic research.

Finding 12. A variety of management approaches in the Department of Defense is appropriate to the widely diverse missions and motivations for basic research.

Finding 13. The key to effective management of basic research lies in having experienced and empowered program managers. Current assignment policies and priorities (such as leaving substantial numbers of program manager positions unfilled) are not always consistent with this need, which might result in negative consequences for the effectiveness of basic research management in the long term.

Recommendation 4. The Department of Defense should set the balance of support within 6.1 basic research more in favor of unfettered exploration than of research related to short-term needs.

Recommendation 5. Senior Department of Defense leadership should clearly communicate to research managers its understanding of the need for long-term exploration and discovery.

Recommendation 6. Personnel policies should provide for the needed continuity of research management in order to ensure a cadre of experienced managers capable of exercising the level of authority needed to effectively direct research resources. Further, in light of the reductions in positions reported to the Committee on Department of Defense Basic Research, the Department of Defense should carefully examine the adequacy of the number of basic research management positions.

The reason for the pressure for more focused basic research at the present time is the intense pressure on all science and technology resources throughout the DOD. Over the past decade, the expectations of military forces have grown to include a far wider range of technologies in far greater depth. The U.S. national

Front Matter (R1-R16)

Executive Summary (1-6)

Assessment of Department of Defense Basic Research (7-24)

APPENDIX A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members (25-36)

APPENDIX B Guest Speaker Presentations to the Committee (37-40)

APPENDIX C DOD Basic Research Organizations and Universities: Committee Site Visits and/or Interviews (41-43)

APPENDIX D Definitions of Basic, Applied, and Fundamental Research (44-50)

APPENDIX E Universities That Received Department of Defense 6.1 and 6.2 Funding in Fiscal Year 2002 (51-54)