US military technological supremacy under threat
Defense research and development spending has long been a cornerstone of American security, bringing important advances to military hardware. Yet advanced technologies do much more than simply support America's men and women in uniform. Throughout the 20th century, many military innovations ended up playing key and sometimes revolutionary roles throughout the broader civilian economy. Despite the benefits of military research spending, there tend to be powerful short-term incentives to reduce defense R & D investment. There are many options available to further structure defense research and development spending to maximize security and economic benefits, including longer-term funding stability, reform of human capital recruitment, and the multiple potential methods of facilitating research and technology transfer from the DoD to the private sector. Reform, along with a budgetary commitment to continued R & D, will ensure the innovation that has made America great, and safe, will continue to enjoy robust support into the future
eBook, English, 2012
American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC, 2012