Science & securityNSF-funded research continues to support national security

Published 24 March 2017

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is usually associated with supporting scientists who go on to win Nobel Prizes, leading exploration of the planet’s polar regions, and enabling discoveries about the universe, from the subatomic world to distant galaxies. But the foundation also has ties to national defense that go back to its beginnings, as a product of the U.S. government working to enhance security during and after the Second World War. The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 called for the creation of an agency to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense.” NSF’s founder, Vannevar Bush, said: “It has become clear beyond all doubt that scientific research is absolutely essential to national security.”

Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is usually associated with supporting scientists who go on to win Nobel Prizes, leading exploration of the planet’s polar regions, and enabling discoveries about the universe, from the subatomic world to distant galaxies. But the foundation also has ties to national defense that go back to its beginnings, as a product of the U.S. government working to enhance security during and after the Second World War. The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 called for the creation of an agency to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense.”

And so NSF began.

It was a time when many — including NSF’s founder, Vannevar Bush — recognized the value of science and the need to foster its growth,” said NSF historian Leo Slater. “Fundamental scientific research was important then, as it still is today, in fostering innovation and driving new applications that help the entire nation, including the military.”

The NSF notes that the NSF’s federal partners, like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Army Research Lab, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research and the Naval Research Laboratory, focus on security-related research with an eye toward specific applications. That applied research, however, relies on a steady supply of basic research — work that expands the scientific community’s understanding of fundamental phenomena. Basic research is where NSF serves as an important asset for national security, laying the groundwork for later applications.

Long ago, Vannevar Bush wrote something that remains true today: “It has become clear beyond all doubt that scientific research is absolutely essential to national security.”

NSF says that it continues to fund fundamental research that benefits U.S. troops — from new materials for more protective Army flak jackets to novel approaches for addressing post-traumatic stress disorder. The following is a list of eight ways NSF-funded research supports the military:

Building a stronger bulletproof vest
Kit Parker is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. He is also a bioengineer at Harvard University. With NSF funding, Parker studies the strength and elasticity of spider silk fibers to build a lighter, more flexible bulletproof vest without compromising protective features.