Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2009 APS April Meeting
Volume 54, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, May 2–5, 2009; Denver, Colorado
Session J7: Physics Contributions to the Intelligence Community |
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Sponsoring Units: FPS Chair: Donald Prosnitz, Rand Corporation Room: Governor's Square 12 |
Sunday, May 3, 2009 1:30PM - 2:06PM |
J7.00001: Physicists {\&} Engineers in the Spy Business--What Does the Record Say About National Reconnaissance? Invited Speaker: Readers of John LeCarre novels most likely have heard about ``Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.'' Is there another story, ``Engineer, Mathematician, Physicist, Spy?'' There may very well be when you consider that a physicist was part of the October 1962 intelligence find of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, or when you consider that another student of physics made critical contributions to the U.S. intelligence that debunked the 1960s myth of an American-Soviet ``missile gap.'' The record suggests the fictions that LeCarre, Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy, and other authors invented have their counterparts in the real world of physics, engineering, and foreign intelligence activities. In fact, I would argue that without the contributions of physicists and engineers to the intelligence discipline of national reconnaissance, the world might not have acquired the intelligence necessary to bring the Cold War to an end, and terrorists might now have an unending advantage as we start our journey through the 21st century. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:06PM - 2:42PM |
J7.00002: Physics, Physicists and Revolutionary Capabilities for the Intelligence Community Invited Speaker: Over the past several decades, physicists have made seminal contributions to technological capabilities that have enabled the U.S. intelligence community to provide unexpected and unparalleled information to our nation's decision makers and help dispel the cloud of uncertainty they face in dealing with crises and challenges around the world. As we look to the future, we recognize that the ever-quickening pace of changes in the world and the threats we must confront demand continued innovation and improvement in the capabilities needed to provide the information on which our leaders depend. This talk will focus on some of the major technological challenges that the intelligence community faces in the coming years, and the many ways that physicists can help to overcome those challenges. The potential impact of physicists on the future capabilities of the US intelligence community is huge. In addition to the more obvious and direct impact through research in areas ranging from novel sensors to quantum information science, the unique approach physicists bring to a problem can also have an indirect but important effect by influencing how challenges in areas ranging from cybersecurity to advanced analytics are approached and solved. Several examples will be given. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:42PM - 3:18PM |
J7.00003: Physicists and the Intelligence Community: The Next Decade Invited Speaker: Physicists and the applications they invent address some of the most difficult intelligence problems we face. Gaining access to information is the key issue and imaginative use of acoustics, optical imaging, radar, RF propagation, and other physics based capabilities is often the key to success. However, just like accelerator physicists, we are then faced with the challenge of analyzing large data sets. Here, too, intelligence is informed and enabled by the advancements of modern physics. Over the next decade, in the face of resource constraints, the role of physics may be key to providing the capabilities necessary to ensure the nation's security. [Preview Abstract] |
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