Today's Article
'Losing our leading
edge in science and
technology is one of
the greatest threats
to national security,'
says panel co-chair.
The American Spark
Limitations On Unclassified Research A Threat To Security, Says
Science Panel

By Cliff Montgomery - Nov. 14th, 2007

Excessive security rules on open research and restrictions on foreign scientists' work with U.S. laboratories
may harm American scientific and engineering expertise, according to a recent study by the National Research
Council (NRC), a panel allied to the National Academy of Sciences.

"The success of U.S. science and engineering has been built on a system of information sharing and open
communication, not only among U.S. institutions, but also with the international science and technology
communities," stated the report.

"Given the current diminishing rates of new scientific and engineering talent in the United States...the size of
the U.S. research and development effort cannot be sustained without a significant and steady infusion of
foreign nationals," the study added.

A report summary states that the fears of terrorism "do not justify the use of extreme measures that could
serve to significantly disrupt the openness that has characterized the U.S. scientific and technology
enterprises."

NRC co-chair Jacques Gansler was even more blunt in a recent National Academy of Sciences news release
discussing the report.

"In the years following the Sept. 11 attacks, research institutions have established policies and procedures
that address concerns about security," said Gansler.

"However, both the security and scientific communities agree that losing our leading edge in science and
technology is one of the greatest threats to national security. Unnecessary or ill-conceived restrictions could
jeopardize the scientific and technical progress that our nation depends upon," he added.

As a former U.S. undersecretary of defense and current vice president for research at the University of
Maryland, College Park, Gansler probably knows what needs to be kept secret--and what should be available
to all.

The fact that openness actually protects America in most cases can be seen in National Security Decision
Directive 189 (NSDD 189). Issued by President Reagan, it declared "that it is the policy of the U.S. government
to not restrict, to the maximum extent possible, the products of unclassified fundamental research," states the
report summary.

The NRC study suggests that the U.S. government create a standing body such as a Science and Security
Commission, which would consider government policies effecting the exchange of data and the use of
foreign-born scientists in U.S. research.

The report also states that the panel should be co-chaired by the U.S. national security adviser and the White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy director, and should be filled with officials from national
security agencies and academic research institutions.

"The U.S. security and research communities need to work together to weigh the latest information about
potential threats and ensure the continuation of scientific research that could help mitigate them," NRC
co-chair Alice Gast, president of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, said in the news release.

"Establishing this standing body would allow the nation to strike the appropriate balance between science and
security," she added.



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