Department of Defense Authorization for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUDGET AND STRATEGY The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:34 a.m., in room SR-325, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator John Cornyn (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Committee members present: Senators Cornyn, Reed, E. Benjamin Nelson, and Clinton.

Committee staff member present: Leah C. Brewer, nominations and hearings clerk.

Majority staff members present: Elaine A. McCusker, professional staff member; Paula J. Philbin, professional staff member; and Lynn F. Rusten, professional staff member.

Minority staff members present: Gabriella Eisen, research assistant; Richard W. Fieldhouse, professional staff member; and Arun A. Seraphin, professional staff member.

Staff assistants present: Andrew W. Florell, Nicholas W. West, and Pendred K. Wilson.

Committee members' assistants present: James B. Kadtke, assistant to Senator Warner; Russell J. Thomasson, assistant to Senator Cornyn; Elizabeth King, assistant to Senator Reed; William K. Sutey and Eric Pierce, assistants to Senator Bill Nelson.

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOHN CORNYN,

CHAIRMAN

Senator CORNYN. Good morning, and thanks to all of you for joining us today.

This morning the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities meets to receive testimony on the Department of Defense's (DOD) fiscal year 2006 budget request for defense science and technology (S&T) programs. We will also examine the process and guidance used to make decisions on the appropriate level of investment for these programs.

It is critical that our S&T investments produce capabilities which are responsive to current and emerging needs, but they must also

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focus on preparing us for the battle environments that we may face in the future.

I would like to thank each of the witnesses and those who have provided the demonstrations in the back of the room for being here today. The displays I think have helped show all of us some of the real-world applications of some of the S&T that we are exploring today and understand how important S&T is in equipping, training, and protecting America's fighting force. It is important to remember that the origins of these successful capabilities were predominantly basic research programs at laboratories and universities around the country.

Our witnesses today are the Department's S&T executives. They will highlight for us their fiscal year 2006 initiatives and explain some of the items on display. They will also describe how they develop their budgets to meet national security missions and corresponding technology strategies.

Decades of investment in basic and applied research have led to a force that is better equipped and better protected. Our military possesses new standoff detection, surveillance, and when needed, lethal capabilities. We have advanced life-saving medical technologies. New command and control systems are coming on line. Achievements in the area of unmanned systems continue to save lives and increase situational awareness. Ongoing work in materials and composites provide enhanced equipment and personnel protection systems.

Another key product of the DOD S&T program that we cannot set on an easel or put in the space of a 6-foot display table is the technical workforce, the creative problem solvers who work in our defense labs and who think up new ideas and how to respond to the needs of those on the front lines.

The committee took steps to enhance training, recruitment, and retention of talented individuals who possess unique national security related technical skills by establishing the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART), scholarship for service pilot program in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2005. I look forward to your comments on the status of this effort.

As we listen to the witnesses today and discuss the Department's plans and budget for S&T, we will also explore how to maintain a robust research investment in an atmosphere of competing priorities and immediate operational needs.

I have some questions about the long-term viability of our current investment strategy and some concern about the Department's apparent decision to deviate from previously set funding targets for S&T.

I also have some questions about coordination, transition, and the technical workforce.

I do, however, want to commend all of you on the great work that you are doing. The budget request before us reflects tough decisions made during a challenging time of evolving needs and continuing operational requirements.

We look forward to hearing from each of the witnesses. Please note that your written testimony will be made a part of the record. To allow time for questions and answers, I ask that you summarize

your remarks perhaps in the range of 5 minutes or so, and then we will come back and ask questions. Again, thanks to all of you for being here this morning.

I just want to say from a personal standpoint how glad I am to be working with Senator Reed as the ranking member of this subcommittee. His experience on the subcommittee and on the Armed Services Committee and his service to our Nation in the uniformed services uniquely qualifies him to make a very important contribution to the work of this subcommittee, as he does to the committee as a whole.

We are delighted to have Senator Nelson here with us this morning as well.

With that, I would like to recognize Senator Reed for any comments he would care to make.

STATEMENT OF SENATOR JACK REED

Senator REED. thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Let me first congratulate you on assuming the chairmanship of this very important subcommittee. I very much look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman.

I also understand that you are working to develop an energetic oversight agenda for the subcommittee, and I assure you that myself and my staff will work eagerly with you and your staff to get this very challenging agenda accomplished.

Let me thank all the witnesses, as well as everyone who worked on putting together this very impressive display of S&T.

During times of war, clearly our thoughts and efforts are focused on the current threats facing our troops deployed in harm's way. However, in the process of prosecuting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must also think about the future. The Department's S&T program attempts to walk the line between addressing the near-term operational needs and investing in potentially revolutionary future capabilities.

Through this hearing and the technologies we looked at this morning, we are exploring the important role that the Department's S&T program plays in supporting the global war on terrorism and operations in Iraq. The advanced munitions, sensors, and force protection systems displayed here are excellent examples of how we can leverage years of sustained investment in S&T into important new military capabilities for our forces today. The revolutionary advances in engineering, physics, and biology that are also funded by S&T offer the possibility of currently unimaginable capabilities for future forces.

I note with some concern that the President's 2006 budget request cuts S&T by nearly $3 billion as compared to last year's appropriated level. Despite the fact that the overall DOD budget has grown, the S&T request is even below the amount of funding called for in the 2005 budget request.

The request also does not meet the goal of investing 3 percent of the DOD budget in these innovative S&T programs, a goal endorsed by Congress, Secretary Rumsfeld, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), and the Defense Science Board. I hope the witnesses can explain how it was decided to reduce investments in

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