Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn said the answer to the conundrum posed by declining budgets and the need for continued investment in high-tech and cutting-edge tools is in “targeted†spending on research and development, according to a report in Defense News.
Lynn took a page from the history books, likening the current budget climate to the 1970s, when defense spending fell. But, even with funding decreases, the U.S. still managed to make key investments in stealth technology, which gave the U.S. military a competitive edge it still holds today.
“Each of these technology areas will be crucial to future conflicts,” Lynn said in a speech to New York investors last week.
“We do not yet know the exact shape they will take, or the precise advantages they will confer,” Lynn said. “But unless we shield the research and development funds that support them, we will deny future decision-makers the opportunity to deploy these technologies, and deny the nation the security gains that accrue as a result.”
