Scientists Complain About Pentagon Cuts Wednesday May 11, 8:06 pm ET By Matthew Fordahl, AP Technology Writer Scientists, Industry Execs Say Pentagon's Decreased Computer Funding Could Undercut U.S.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The Pentagon has in recent years decreased university funding for basic computer research in favor of projects that produce near-term results -- and prominent scientists and industry executives say that could undercut U.S. technology leadership and economic well-being. ADVERTISEMENT
In the past, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has poured billions of dollars into universities to pay for fundamental research of what would become the building blocks of computing, Internet and countless other high-tech endeavors.
But while DARPA spending on basic computer science research has risen from $546 million in fiscal 2001 to $583 million, the cut of it going toward to academic institutions has fallen from $214 million to $123 million during the same period.
On Thursday, the House Science Committee is to hold a hearing in Washington, D.C., to look at the changes and weigh whether there's a need for other agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, to take up the slack.
"If we're seeing DARPA move away from basic, long-term research, then that creates a void. We've got to have someone fill that void, and NSF is the logical candidate," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, the committee's chairman. "But we've got to see if it's real or imagined."
Jan Walker, a DARPA spokeswoman, declined to comment on the testimony expected Thursday from the agency's director, Anthony J. Tether. Previously, the agency has either denied such a shift is taking place or said that its funding decisions reflect national priorities.
If there has been a fundamental change, the impact could be enormous not just for future military technology but also for education, the economy and overall U.S. technological leadership.
"When you abandon the emphasis on long-term research, then you're gambling with our future and the investment we need to make to guarantee that future," said Boehlert, R-NY. "I like the fact that we're pre-eminent in the global marketplace. I want to keep that position."
Researchers say the shift already is affecting other research agencies such as the NSF, which has seen its own budget increases slow down in recent years.
DARPA's funding shift comes at a time when foreign governments are boosting their basic research efforts and as U.S. companies have cut back theirs. In fact, many U.S. companies partner with universities, which in part rely on government funding and which produce the scientists who eventually might create new companies or work in a corporate lab.
"This agency (DARPA) has played a historically tremendous role in the IT industry, and there's nobody taking its place," said computer scientist David Patterson, president of the Association for Computing Machinery, a leading group of information technology professionals and academics. "It's hard to imagine this won't have a gigantic impact."
There's also the problem of more of DARPA's research being classified, particularly in the area of computer security. That deprives the rest of society of the latest in network security technologies -- and could even undermine military uses of innovations from the civilian sector.
"That's a real problem because in cybersecurity, the DOD (Department of Defense) may have isolated networks, but they buy their routers from Cisco just like the rest of us," said Elizabeth Grossman, a House Science Committee staffer. "They need a strong, secure global Internet. If they're not contributing to university programs, U.S. industry will not be able to (produce new) secure products. That's an example of what's not getting done."
A February study by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee recommended not only a more focused approach to cybersecurity research but also called for increased spending and better support for transferring technology to the private sector.
Patterson also takes issue with the claim that technology-related demands from military commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq are a viable reason for DARPA's shift to more short-term, less abstract research.
After all, it was during the Vietnam conflict that the basic building blocks of the Internet were developed.
"Had DARPA done this during the Vietnam War, I don't know if we'd have an Internet," said Patterson.
Ultimately, he added, the military could be shooting itself in the foot.
"From a military perspective, suppose China not only had five times the number of soldiers, but better IT technology than our military," he said. "If I was in the military, I'd be worried about that."
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