SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2018, Issue No. 12
February 22, 2018

Secrecy News Blog: https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

A PROFILE OF DEFENSE SCIENCE & TECH SPENDING

Annual spending on defense science and technology has "grown substantially" over the past four decades from $2.3 billion in FY1978 to $13.4 billion in FY2018 or by nearly 90% in constant dollars, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service.

Defense science and technology refers to the early stages of military research and development, including basic research (known by its budget code 6.1), applied research (6.2) and advanced technology development (6.3).

"While there is little direct opposition to Defense S&T spending in its own right," the CRS report says, "there is intense competition for available dollars in the appropriations process," such that sustained R&D spending is never guaranteed.

Still, "some have questioned the effectiveness of defense investments in R&D."

CRS takes note of a 2012 article published by the Center for American Progress which argued that military spending was an inefficient way to spur innovation and that the growing sophistication of military technology was poorly suited to meet some low-tech threats such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan (as discussed in an earlier article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists).

The new CRS report presents an overview of the defense science and tech budget, its role in national defense, and questions about its proper size and proportion. See Defense Science and Technology Funding, February 21, 2018:

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response, updated February 16, 2018:

Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations, updated February 16, 2018:

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated February 15, 2018:

Potential Options for Electric Power Resiliency in the U.S. Virgin Islands, February 14, 2018:

U.S. Manufacturing in International Perspective, updated February 21, 2018:

Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems, updated February 15, 2018:

Where Can Corporations Be Sued for Patent Infringement? Part I, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 20, 2018:

How Broad A Shield? A Brief Overview of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 21, 2018:

Russians Indicted for Online Election Trolling, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 21, 2018:

Hunting and Fishing on Federal Lands and Waters: Overview and Issues for Congress, February 14, 2018:

DICTIONARY OF MILITARY TERMS UPDATED

The Department of Defense updated its Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms this month, as it periodically does.

New entries in the nearly 400 page Dictionary include "battle rhythm," "information exchange requirement," and "maritime environment."

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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