Session H5: Invited Session: Physicists Advising on National Security

Experience with the President's Science Advisory Committee, Its Panels, and Other Modes of Advice

When Dwight Eisenhower became President in January 1953, the United States had just tested November 1, 1952 its 11 megaton prototype of a hydrogen bomb, and Eisenhower sought enduring peace and economy by basing the U.S. military strategy on nuclear weaponry and a downsizing of the military forces. The detonation by the Soviet Union of a 400-kt fusion-containing device in August 1953 enhanced concern about U.S. vulnerability, and in early 1954 the unexpectedly large yield of the BRAVO test elevated fears for the actual survival of societies against the nuclear threat. Eisenhower initially sought a world moratorium on nuclear tests, but was unable to win over his Administration and met with an obscure Scientific Advisory Committee of the Office of Defense Mobilization (SAC-ODM) on March 27, 1954 for a mutual exploration of what science and technology might bring to national security. The resulting 42-man (!) Technological Capabilities Panel (TCP) had a remarkable impact on the President himself and the direction of the country's strategic missile and intelligence activities and structure, as well as a new emphasis on federal support of university research. Rooted in MIT Summer Studies, the TCP reported on March 17, 1955 on the problems of surprise attack, the overall U.S. offensive capability, and, especially, on its Part~V, ``Intelligence: Our First Defense Against Surprise.'' That panel, chaired by Edwin Land, inventor of polarizing sheet and instant photography, originated the U-2 and OXCART (SR-71) strategic reconnaissance aircraft and the CORONA film-return imaging satellites. The President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created in the White House in 1957 from the SAC-ODM and had major impact throughout the 1960s until its termination by President Richard Nixon in 1973. The presentation traces its story and that of some of its panels from personal experience of the author and his colleagues.   

Experiences Advising our Government from the Point of View of a JASON

The roles of science and scientists in national security are well recognized, historically important, and changing significantly since the end of the cold war and the emergence of new threats. ~JASON, comprising mainly university-based researchers, has advised agencies of the US government on technical matters related to national security since early cold-war days and continues to do so today. ~I will describe what JASON does now from the perspective of a participant and comment more broadly on some of the technical themes and issues of importance to national security today.   

Advisory Experiences wih the DOD, DOE and the Intelligence Community

Consulting for the U.S. government on national security can be a win-win experience. The consultants participating on panels, committees, boards and commissions are exposed to critical national security challenges and are tasked to provide their findings and recommended actions. University professors participating on a committee bring a wealth of professional scientific experience to the deliberations and they obtain a broader understanding of national security needs and the contribution that can be provided by the university. This process has produced such spectacular contributions as microwave radar, nuclear reactors, nuclear and smart weapons, satellites, lasers and the GPS. Of course, the government doesn't always choose to implement the committee's recommendations, and that can be frustrating. The presentation will describe a number of personal experiences and suggest some ``lessons to be learned'' to make the consulting experience more effective for the government and satisfying for the consultants.