Building Careers and Shaping Public Policy

5 October 2004

Dr. Ronald M. Sega
Director, Defense Research & Engineering
3030 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-3030

Dear Dr. Sega:

The IEEE-USA continues to be deeply concerned about the devolvement of the Department of Defense's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program from the office of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) to the services, and we recommend that the MURI program be moved back to
DDR&E. The MURI program as administered by the DDR&E prior to FY'04 was one of the best-managed basic research programs in DoD. Its placement in the DDR&E enhanced communication, facilitated coordination among the services, and encouraged the cross-fertilization of concepts and activities that proved valuable in addressing research problems with multi-service needs.

The transfer of MURI funds from the office of the DDR&E to the services is discouraging inter-service communication and collaboration. The transfers appear as plus-ups in each services' 6.1 budget lines, making them susceptible to reprogramming. Congress expressed similar concerns in the Conference Report accompanying Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 108-136): "The Secretary of Defense should consider these programs congressional interest items for purposes of the Base for Reprogramming
(DD 1414). Any reprogramming of funds from these accounts shall only occur after approval by the congressional defense committees."

The MURI program focuses on multidisciplinary research efforts by teams of investigators and is distinctively different from the tri-services' Defense Research Sciences (DRS) programs, which are primarily disciplinary oriented. IEEE-USA is concerned about reprogramming of MURI funds to address shortfalls in the DRS programs, which would cause apprehension in the academic community. Such reprogramming would remove the distinction between MURI and DRS-sponsored research, and would gradually cause MURI programs to be absorbed into the DRS programs to address single service needs. We urge you to ensure that the Office of Naval Research, Army Research Office, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research maintain the true multidisciplinary, multi-service nature of the MURI program.

We appreciate your consideration of our recommendations. IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the IEEE. It was created in 1973 to advance the public good and promote the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 225,000 technology professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more information, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org or contact Bill Williams at 202-785-0017.
 

Sincerely,

John W. Steadman, Ph.D., P.E.
2004 IEEE-USA President
 

Letter also sent to  Dr. William Berry, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense for Laboratories & Basic Sciences, and to members of the
House and Senate Armed Services Committees.