WHOI-90-52

Generic Research: Basic and applied resech funded by the government in assoiation with
missions such as space exploration or national defense ca, in a very indirect way, lead to
commercial applications. Artficial intellgence (AI) resech had ben funded in universities by
the Defense Advance Resech Projects Agency (DARPA) for some twenty yeas before
commercially successful applications of the tehnology, albeit modest ones, began to be
markete. Indee, ambitious milta AI objectives such as autonomously operating vehicles and
automate taget recgnition have yet to be achieved.
Development of Tools: Besides their R&D activities, the mission agencies of the federal
government have also been responsible for the development of tols that have subseuently taen
on widespread application. NASTRN is a public domain computer program originally
develope by NASA to analyze mechanica strctures (NASTR is an acronym for NASA
STructural ANalysis). NASTRN is the parent of several importt strctura analysis progras
that are now markete, support and maintaned by private suppliers.
COTS: In some cases, milta users are able to satisfy their requirements by purchasing
components or systems that are available "commercially-off-the-shelt' (COTS). Raytheon
Corpration hope to enter this market when, under license from the Digita Equipment
corpration, it release a miitaze version of a new model V AX computer on the same day
that DEC release the civilan version. In providing the full functional capabilty of the V AX
in a package acceptable for milta use, Raytheon was able to give the milta accss to stateof-the-ar
tehnology in a field where milta systems trditionally lag behind their civilan
counterpars by many yeas. Moreover, ths approach permits milta users to use the vast body
of commercial V AX compatible software.
Forced Difion: The milta on ocsion has mounted a program to force the diffusion of new
technologica practices or tehniques. some describe the milta's Very High Spe Integrate
Circuits program as an attempt to brig the level of tehnology use by milta micro-electronics
producers up to that being embodied in commercial products.
Bootleg Industrial Policy: Finally, the last category on this list is "bootleg" industral policy,
where what otherwise would be deemed unacceptable federal intervention in commercial industr
becmes legitimi by an ostensible national seurity motivation. The Defense Deparment
began funding SEMA TECH, a consortum of semiconductor manufacturers formed to pursue
R&D in semiconductor manufacturing, at a level of $100 millon per yea. That was done after
a Defense Science Board (DSB) report in 1987 wared of the growing dependence of U.S.
weapons systems upon foreign made semiconductors. DoD's requirements for seure supplies
of semi-conductors, argued the DSB, mandated that it tae some responsibilty for ensuring that
the U.S., retan a competitive industr in this area. Similar arguments are advance in support
of DoD parcipation in efforts to create a viable high-definitiQn television industr in this
countr .
61