Improving Army Basic Research

The U.S. Army is in the midst of an unprecedented technical transformation as it rapidly adopts and adapts to cutting-edge science and technology to remain an effective and relevant fighting force. This report describes the result of an expert panel assembled to consider how current trends in research and development (R&D) might unfold over time and howthose trends could affect the laboratories and R&D centers that support the Army. The panel looked at national trends in basic research and R&D, includingtrends in Department of Defense research funding; conducted an in-depth examination of the Army research enterprise; and profiled several non-Army laboratories known for their high-quality basic research, to gain insight into how the Army might better structure and fund its own labs. The panel identified several trends, such as an increasing focus on near-term results and tendency toward risk aversion, that are hampering the Army research effort. The report concludes with a list of recommendations for addressing these issues to help the Army get the best long-term value from its investments in basic research.