Scientific Communication and National Security (1982) / Chapter Skim
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4 General Conclusions: Balancing the Costs and Benefits of Controls
4 General Conclusions: Balancing the Costs and Benefits of Controls
Pages 39-51
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From page 39... ...
m e Panel has attempted to examine the relations between controls and three facets of the national interest: deterring advances in Soviet military strength that come about through the use of American research results, safeguarding continued progress in U.S. military and economic capabilities, which also depends in part on American research results; and protecting long-standing educational and cultural values.
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From page 40... ...
PREVENTING SOVIET MILITARY ADVANCES BASED ON U.S. RESEARCH m e Relation to Controls The fundamental justification for controls is that they retard the rate of advance of Soviet military capacity by preventing Soviet access to relevant American science.
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From page 41... ...
The designers of Soviet military systems are conservative, and thus new scientific advances, whatever their origin, may not be readily adopted in military systems. Moreover, such information is probably best understood by Soviet researchers, and it may not flow readily to Soviet military designers because of the highly secretive and compartmentalized nature of the Soviet military R&D and procurement process.
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From page 42... ...
FOSTERING U.S. MILITARY AND ECONOMIC STRENGTH The Relation to Controls The fundamental question is the extent to which technology transfer controls intended to stem international leakage will also harm domestic communication and thus impede the contribution of American science to military and industrial advances.
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From page 43... ...
In order to evaluate the potentially adverse effects of controls, it is necessary to assess the extent to which research contributes to improved U.S. military and economic performance and the extent to which controls that diminish the traditional openness of the scientific enterprise -- thus limiting informal feedback, delaying the discovery of errors, narrowing critical evaluation, and complicating the scientist's search for predecessors' results -- will diminish its overall contribution.
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From page 44... ...
national security in several ways. There have been several cases in which Soviet scientists have made significant contributions to American research efforts.
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From page 45... ...
Particularly vulnerable are high-technology, dual-use technologies such as high-speed microelectronics, because these rapidly evolving areas could fall under national security controls that would inhibit the best researchers and advanced students from entering -- and advancing -- the field. Many high-technology firms depend on outside research scientists for contract research and consulting, and rely on universities to supply young talent trained at the frontier of technology.
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From page 46... ...
The Panel's Assessment American universities are particularly vulnerable to restrictions on scientific communication because of two special characteristics, namely, the critical role of research at many universities and the intimate relationship between university-based research and educational programs, particularly advanced training in research. Over the coming decades the nation's research performance will be heavily dependent on the continued health of university research programs, especially those in basic science.
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From page 47... ...
Efforts to restrict leakage by member nations of COCOM vary widely, and some industrially advanced nations, notably Sweden and Switzerland, are not members. m us, in many cases losses can occur outside the United States and beyond the reach of its control efforts.
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From page 48... ...
, often in unexpected ways. To attempt to restrict access to basic research would require casting a net of controls over wide areas of science that could be extremely damaging to overall scientific and economic advance as well - ~ ~ ~ my: 1: Jo__ ~_~_~ "= ~w lay' ~ ~' y Wavy' e== .
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From page 49... ...
Similarly, the science underlying aerodynamic design, even though it possesses obvious military significance, is a mature, slowly evolving field that is unlikely to provide any significant near-term military advantage to the Soviets. Thus, it too should be free of controls.
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From page 50... ...
Access to program resources by nationals of designated foreign countries may be limited either through research contract terms or through other agreements negotiated with particular universities. Such contracts or agreements should not attempt to deny physical access to any university space or facility to any person accepted by the university into its community.
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From page 51... ...
The Panel emphasizes that its support for a review period is not intended to support any government effort to veto publication, or to limit the government's power to classify, in accordance with law, any research it has supported. To help government policy officials to supervise the application of the gray-area research criteria and to gain perspective on the longer-term effects of the restrictions imposed on such research, there is a need to ensure that an accurate accounting of such restrictions is kept.
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