The National Science and Technology Council calls for more modern science and technology capabilities in national security in its Tuesday report, titled “A 21st Century Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for America’s National Security.”
“National security involves much more than military power and homeland defense,” said John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in his letter introducing the report. “The Strategy acknowledges that the enterprise must continue to drive advances in science, technology, and innovation to assure that the nation’s military and homeland defense remains without peer.”
The report highlights four key IT modernizations needed for national security:
- Access to skilled IT talent.
- Investment in science and technology facilities.
- Intelligent management of science and technology in national security.
- Adoption of private sector frameworks and practices.
The report notes that many of the Federal technologies used for national security were developed with the Cold War in mind. The system therefore needs to make changes that will address security problems such as cybersecurity, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and autonomy, and climate change.
In his letter, Holdren said that the government “must be able to respond effectively to new challenges, such as asymmetric threats enabled by the globalization of science and technology; threats to stability, such as natural disasters and the effects of climate change; and other humanitarian and security crises, such as epidemic disease.”
