Report of the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community (in English)
Synopsis "Report of the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community (in English)"
Since Congress created the modern Intelligence Community (IC) with the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, the IC has existed to serve one overarching goal-to provide timely and accurate intelligence to inform, warn, and act on behalf of U.S. decisionmakers to ensure our continued national security. The National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community was established by Public Law 107-306, as amended by Public Law 111-259, to review the R&D programs of the IC and to ensure that this goal is being, and will continue to be, met.In the legislation establishing the Commission, Congress noted that for the foreseeable future, the IC "must operate in a dynamic, highly-challenging environment against a growing number of hostile, technically-sophisticated threats." Aided by their growing national commitments to R&D, current and potential adversaries of U.S. interests have easy access to advanced sensors, social media tools, a variety of communication networks, precision weapons and home-made devices, analytical software, and many other capabilities for undermining our national advantage. IC R&D programs are critical to ensure that the United States advances and maintains "technological capabilities to detect, characterize, assess, and ultimately counter the full range of threats to the national security of the United States."The Commission conducted a thorough review of the IC R&D enterprise, including its relationship with the broader U.S. R&D base and the U.S. R&D talent pool. The Commission held individual sessions with R&D leaders and national security experts from the IC, Department of Defense, Executive Office of the President, academia, and private industry and also reviewed policies and programs aimed at enhancing the nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Several IC-wide data calls were conducted to gain information about current IC R&D budgets as well as R&D priorities. The Commission also reviewed five IC R&D topics to consider illustrative areas of high interest in more detail.
