[Senate Hearing 115-437]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
----------
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
[Clerk's note.--The subcommittee was unable to hold
hearings on nondepartmental witnesses. The statements and
letters of those submitting written testimony are as follows:]
Prepared Statement of the American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and
professional organization of more than 115,000 psychologists and
affiliates.
For decades, psychologists have played vital roles within the
Department of Defense (DoD), as providers of clinical services to
military personnel and their families, and as scientific researchers
investigating mission-targeted issues ranging from airplane cockpit
design to counter-terrorism to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). More than ever before, psychologists
today bring unique and critical expertise to meeting the needs of our
military and its personnel. APA's testimony focuses on (1) reversing
Administration cuts to the overall DoD Science and Technology (S&T)
budget; (2) maintaining support for important behavioral sciences
research within DoD; (3) continuing support for defense health
research; and (4) addressing TRICARE cuts and contractor issues
regarding mental health treatment.
(1) Reverse Fiscal Year 2018 Proposed Cuts to DoD Science & Technology
Account
In line with the Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR),
of which APA is one of 90 member organizations, we urge the
Subcommittee to reverse the Administration's proposed step backwards
and instead provide $14.5 billion for DoD overall S&T in fiscal year
2018.
APA is concerned that the Administration's fiscal year 2018 request
slashes the overall defense science and technology account (S&T) by 5.8
percent. Across the board, except for an increase in Navy basic (6.1)
research, all of the critical Army, Navy, and Air Force basic and
applied research (6.2) and advanced technology development (6.3)
accounts would be cut. Within the Army research program alone, greater
than 20 percent of both Army applied and advanced technology research
support would be slashed in fiscal year 2018. Though APA is pleased to
see the Administration propose a healthy 9.7 percent increase in fiscal
year 2018 for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),
this Presidential Budget Request fails to advance vital research
throughout DoD, and the request would diminish our Nation's ability to
keep up with scientific and technological innovations.
(2) Maintain Support for DoD Behavioral Science Research in Fiscal Year
2018
--``People are the heart of all military efforts. People operate the
available weaponry and technology, and they constitute a
complex military system composed of teams and groups at
multiple levels. Scientific research on human behavior is
crucial to the military because it provides knowledge about how
people work together and use weapons and technology to extend
and amplify their forces.''
--Human Behavior in Military Contexts
--Report of the National Research Council
Just as a large number of psychologists provide high-quality
clinical services to our military service members stateside and abroad
(and their families), psychological scientists within DoD conduct
cutting-edge, mission-specific research critical to national defense.
Within the S&T program, APA encourages the Subcommittee to follow
recommendations from the National Academies and the Defense Science
Board to fund priority research in the behavioral sciences in support
of national security. Psychological scientists address a broad range of
important issues and problems vital to our national defense, with
expertise in modeling behavior of individuals and groups, understanding
and optimizing cognitive functioning, perceptual awareness, complex
decisionmaking, stress resilience, recruitment and retention, and
human-systems interactions.
Within DoD, the majority of behavioral, cognitive and social
science is funded through the Army Research Institute for the
Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) and Army Research Laboratory
(ARL); the Office of Naval Research (ONR); and the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL), with additional, smaller human systems research
programs funded through the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
and DARPA. The military service laboratories provide a stable, mission-
oriented focus for science, conducting and sponsoring basic (6.1),
applied/exploratory development (6.2) and advanced development (6.3)
research. All of the services fund human-related research in the broad
categories of personnel, training and leader development; warfighter
protection, sustainment and physical performance; and system interfaces
and cognitive processing.
(3) Support Defense Health Research and Programs Promoting
Servicemember Mental Health and Well-Being
DoD also supports psychological research and programming beyond its
service laboratories. APA urges the Subcommittee to fully fund Health
Affairs and other offices addressing research and programming in the
crucial areas of Servicemember mental health and well-being--
particularly efforts addressing suicide prevention. APA, in line again
with CNSR, requests that the Subcommittee increase its support for
DoD's Peer-Reviewed Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
from $1.28 billion in fiscal year 2017 to $1.33 billion in fiscal year
2018. The Subcommittee has shown extraordinary leadership in ensuring
that these research programs are continued in mission-critical areas
such as PTSD and TBI.
(4) Address TRICARE Cuts and Contractor Issues
As an organization that supports military personnel, veterans, and
their families, as well as the psychologists who serve them, we are
concerned about the Administration's proposed fiscal year 2018 cut to
TRICARE, and about proposed reimbursement rate cuts by Humana and
Health Net Federal Services (HNFS) for TRICARE mental health providers.
These may have significant impacts on network adequacy and access to
mental healthcare for highly-stressed military-connected families and
communities.
As TRICARE assesses whether Humana and HNFS are complying with
network adequacy obligations, we hope DoD considers the markers we hold
as true indicators of adequacy, including: the number of psychologists
a beneficiary has to call before getting an appointment, how long it
takes to get an appointment, and how far the beneficiary has to travel
for treatment. Even requiring beneficiaries to change mental health
professionals (because the one with whom they have developed trust and
rapport has left the network) is disruptive, and sometimes untenable.
This is especially true for those who have developed a relationship
with someone with the expertise to handle diagnoses such as PTSD.
[This statement was submitted by Howard Kurtzman, PhD, Acting
Executive Director for Science, American Psychological Association.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Calgon Carbon Corporation
Chairman Cochran, Ranking Member Durbin, and members of the Senate
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
submit outside witness testimony. I am writing to tell you about Calgon
Carbon Corporation, which is a world leader in the development and
manufacturing of granular activated carbon products that make water
safer and cleaner. More specifically, I am writing to describe the work
Calgon Carbon is doing to remediate groundwater and drinking water
contamination issues on U.S. military bases, as it pertains to
perfluourinated chemicals (PFCs--including PFOA/PFOS).
calgon carbon corporation
Calgon Carbon is a world leader in the development and
manufacturing of technologies for the purification of drinking water,
wastewater, odor control, pollution abatement, and a variety of
industrial and commercial manufacturing and food processes. We
currently offer more than 100 different Activated Carbon products that
are used in over 700 distinct applications from purifying air and
drinking water, to purifying foods and pharmaceuticals, to separating
gas and removing mercury emissions from power plants. Calgon Carbon's
cost-effective, environmental remediation/recycle programs combine the
proper mix of an effective activated carbon, ingenious adsorption
systems, and professional field/technical services into economically
efficient solutions for users.
the issue
Chemical contamination in ground water, and the potential for those
chemicals to end up in drinking water of Department of Defense (DoD)
facilities and nearby communities, is a significant concern across the
DoD complex. Regulated chemicals are routinely monitored and efforts
are taken to reduce their impact on the environment and human health.
However, a growing list of emerging contaminants, many of which are not
regulated but pose a significant risk to the environment and human
health, are being identified in ground water and drinking water used by
DoD and surrounding communities.
Congress and DoD have expressed concern about actual and potential
instances of contaminated drinking water on and around military bases.
For example, the use of firefighting foams during training exercises
and actual incidents caused perfluorinated chemicals to enter the
ground and drinking water supply.
Some of these emerging contaminants are making headlines across the
country--including perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, (a group of
chemicals used in fire fighting foams whose negative environmental and
health impacts were studied as long ago as 1979), trichloroethylene/
perchloroethylene, or TCE/PCE, (chemicals used in solvent degreasing
operations, pharmaceutical chemicals (from improperly disposed
prescription medication and other sources), and many more.
The environmental and human health issues arising from these
situations, which are summarized in a 2015 report \1\--prepared by the
Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials
(ASTSWMO) Federal Facilities Research Center's Remediation and Reuse
Focus Group with assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency--challenge DoD to promptly remove these chemicals from the
ground water and drinking water.
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\1\ https://clu-in.org/download/contaminantfocus/pops/POPs-ASTSWMO-
PFCs-2015.pdf.
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impact on dod
Some of these emerging contaminants--like PFCs--are making
headlines across the country raising health and safety concerns of
individuals on and off the military installation and distracting
installations from their primary mission. In addition, the situations
represent a potentially significant investment by DoD for corrective
action.
The decentralized nature of DoD service organization acquisition
complicates the implementation of optimum solutions for addressing
these challenges in a technically as well as economically effective
manner. Acquisition offices are faced with the need to procure and
implement appropriate technology solutions and are, all too often,
promised a solution which does not satisfy the requirements in a
technically effective or economically efficient manner.
The need exists for a demonstration of a reliable, technically
effective, and economically efficient technology solution, made in the
U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer and from U.S. materials, to support smart
acquisition action.
moving forward
To support optimal acquisition initiatives related to technically
effective and economically efficient solutions for PFC water
contamination, a demonstration project is appropriate to address the
requirements across all DoD service organizations (Air Force, Army,
Marine Corps, and Navy) at sites across the U.S. One of the
technologies that has emerged as technically effective and economical
is Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). This technology is being used at a
number of DoD installations to address the PFC contamination issues and
Calgon Carbon has been a leading provider of those GAC solutions for
DoD, municipalities, and manufacturing companies for more than 15
years. Calgon Carbon is the world's largest manufacturer of GAC and all
of those materials used for PFC applications are manufactured in the
U.S.--at plants in Kentucky and Mississippi.
Calgon Carbon manufacturers more than 100 different GAC products--
each focused toward a particular end use application. Since not all GAC
products are the same, the selection of the proper GAC product is
critical to achieve the desired technical and economic benefit. This
has been determined for PFC water contamination and we continue to
conduct research on how to improve and optimize our products for DoD
benefit.
However, the challenge to DoD acquisition offices is exacerbated by
the fact that, while there is high quality and effective GAC products
manufactured and available from Calgon Carbon and two additional U.S.
based manufacturers, the U.S. market (and other world markets) are
flooded with low quality GAC materials available from Chinese and other
Southeast Asia nations. In many instances, these materials do not work
in PFC applications. In fact, the U.S. Internal Trade Commission has
imposed a tariff on Chinese manufactured GAC because of their unfair
trade practices in the U.S.--but unscrupulous vendors are circumventing
the tariff.
The need exists for a demonstration of a reliable, technically
effective, and economically efficient technology solution, made in the
U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer and from U.S. materials, to support smart
acquisition action.
A demonstration of U.S. produced GAC products (using U.S. based raw
materials) for the removal of PFC, and other chemical contaminants,
from ground water and drinking water impacting the environmental and
human health associated with DoD facilities across the U.S. would
advance DoD interests and optimize its technical approach and economic
investment. The results of the demonstration will allow for more
accurate budgeting and provide the rational for a more proactive
approach across DoD to implement technologies to address the PFC
challenge.
Such a demonstration would address:
--removal of PFCs using U.S. produced GAC from groundwater and
drinking water;
--effectiveness of U.S. produced GAC across DoD service organizations
as well as across various site conditions throughout the U.S.;
--capacity to deliver fully operable systems to support the DoD
mission;
--breadth and depth of technical staff to support DoD operational
needs.
Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Durbin, we greatly appreciate
the opportunity to provide this input and stand ready to answer any of
your questions and to move deliberately on our recommendation.
[This statement was submitted by John W. (Jack) Adams, Director of
Government Affairs, Calgon Carbon Corporation.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Coalition for National Security Research
Chairman Cochran, Ranking Member Durbin, and distinguished Members
of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit outside
witness testimony as you begin to craft the fiscal year 2018 Defense
Appropriations bill. On behalf of the Coalition for National Security
Research (CNSR), we respectfully request at least $2.3 billion for the
Defense basic research program elements (PE), $14.5 billion for the
Defense Science & Technology (S&T) program, $3 billion for the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and $1.3 billion for the
Peer Reviewed Medical Research Programs among other defense medical
research programs as outlined in this testimony. Throughout this
statement you will find charts detailing specific recommendations for
CNSR's priority PEs for fiscal year 2018.
CNSR is a broad-based alliance of nearly 90 research organizations
including the nation's top research universities and institutes,
scientific and professional organizations, and non-profits committed to
advocating for a strong Defense S&T enterprise. Based on the most
recent data available, coalition members performed more than $4.7
billion in Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored scientific research
and technology development. Broadly, colleges and universities
performed 23 percent of all DoD sponsored scientific research including
nearly 50 percent of all DoD sponsored basic scientific research.
With the Trump Administration priority of increasing defense
spending to help rebuild and restore the U.S. military, most people
naturally believe the funding is necessary for building weapons systems
and platforms, such as aircraft carriers, fighter planes and providing
our military with the necessary equipment to be the world's most
dominate fighting force. While each of these activities is vitally
important, we urge the subcommittee to continue to support funding for
the Defense scientific research and development that underpins these
aircraft carriers, fighter planes and our military's equipment but just
as important provide for research and discoveries that will enable the
warfighter for 2030 and beyond where he/she will face threats that we
can only fear today.
Our fiscal year 2018 funding recommendations stem from Innovation:
An American Imperative (Innovation Imperative), a statement signed by
the CEOs of Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Microsoft, and
endorsed by over 500 other leading organizations from industry,
research universities, and science and engineering organizations.
Specifically, the Innovation Imperative urges Congress to end
sequestration and provide steady and sustained growth in funding of at
least 4 percent for basic scientific research at numerous agencies,
including the DoD. As a cosigner of the Innovation Imperative, CNSR
believes that if the U.S. is to maintain its technological superiority,
we must prioritize Federal scientific research investments and support
policies that promote innovation. With countries like China more than
tripling their spending on research and development over the past 17
years, now more than ever we need to support basic scientific research
to enable discoveries and innovations that will provide the necessary
military capabilities of tomorrow and help offset any technological
innovations made by competitor nations. It is vital to our national
security that the United States maintains its technical superiority;
investing in Defense basic research and Defense S&T now will ensure our
national security well into the future.
defense basic research pe recommendations
Defense basic research provides the seed corn that enables
discoveries that have led to paradigm shifts in the military's
technological capabilities as well as trains our next generation
science & engineering workforce. Basic scientific research is sometimes
conducted with no specific technological product in mind, but has still
led to the development of many tools used by today's warfighters. Night
vision, lasers, stealth technology, missile defense capabilities,
unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles, global positioning systems,
and precision guided munitions all trace their roots to basic Defense
research, and have helped ensure our national security for decades. We
cannot underinvest in the long-term basic research that will provide
the military with the foundation for technologies of tomorrow that will
ensure our technological and military superiority in the decades ahead.
While this subcommittee has shown strong support for Defense basic
research, we remain concerned about overall funding levels. While we
are appreciative that the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill
did not align with the proposed reductions to Defense basic research in
the fiscal year 2017 budget request, we remain concerned that Defense
basic research funding has not been trending in a positive direction in
recent years. If these funding trends continue, we are concerned that
the Defense research enterprise will be unable to support the
innovative research that will enable scientific discoveries allowing
for continued U.S. technological superiority in the future. In
addition, we are concerned that we will not be able to support the
world's most productive and innovative workforce if Defense basic
research funding continues to decline as basic research continuously
attracts the best and brightest minds.
Making significant breakthroughs in basic scientific research
requires sustained long-term growth in funding that keeps pace with
inflation and other cost-driving factors. For two of DoD's key basic
research programs, we are seeing evidence of flat and declining
support. Since fiscal year 2014, the Multidisciplinary University
Research Initiative (MURI) program has only been able to support
slightly over 20 projects on an annual basis. Each year, there are
roughly between 50 and 60 proposals that go unfunded. Additionally,
fiscal year 2017 awarded funding declined by 2.5 percent from fiscal
year 2014 and saw a decrease in university participation of
approximately 16 percent. The MURI program is responsible for
sponsoring research that led to the foundations in multidisciplinary
research, such as artificial intelligence, created new possibilities
for nano-manufacturing, and the software that formed the basis of
computer-aided control of unmanned systems or military drones. From our
perspective, underfunding this program could result in the military
technologies of tomorrow being discovered by other nations willing to
invest in fundamental scientific research.
Additionally, the Defense University Research Instrumentation
Program (DURIP) sponsors the acquisition of state of the art equipment
needed to support cutting edge defense research to enable discoveries
for DoD technologies. Over the past three fiscal years, there has been
a steady decline in support for DURIP. Awarded funding has declined by
more than 44 percent from fiscal year 2015 to fiscal year 2017. Over
the same time period, the number of researchers funded has dropped by
more than 65 investigators and the number of institutions participating
in the program has been reduced by more than 32 percent. DoD relies on
colleges and universities to perform nearly 50 percent of its sponsored
basic scientific research. Given the nature of DoD research, unless
there is sufficient support provided to acquire the necessary equipment
to conduct DoD-needed scientific research, we are potentially
jeopardizing future scientific discoveries that will ensure U.S.
military technical superiority in the decades ahead.
We offer the following recommendations for the key Defense basic
research PEs that serve as the foundation of the innovation pipeline.
[$ in Thousands]
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Fiscal Year
--------------------------------------------------
Agency/Account Program Element (PE) 2018
2016 Enacted 2017 Enacted Recommendation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Army RDT&E Defense Research Sciences 279,118 293,116 304,841
Army RDT&E University Research Initiatives 72,603 69,166 71,933
Army RDT&E University and Industry Research 104,340 112,280 116,771
Centers
Navy RDT&E University Research Initiatives 146,196 121,714 146,196
Navy RDT&E Defense Research Sciences 506,553 422,748 506,553
Air Force RDT&E Defense Research Sciences 374,721 380,812 396,044
Air Force RDT&E University Research Initiatives 141,754 150,044 156,046
Air Force RDT&E High Energy Laser Research Initiatives 13,778 14,168 14,735
Defense-Wide RDT&E DTRA Basic Research Initiatives 38,436 35,436 36,853
Defense-Wide RDT&E Basic Research Initiatives 71,940 68,154 70,880
Defense-Wide RDT&E National Defense Education Program 54,355 79,345 82,519
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We would like to mention specific concerns with reductions in
funding for the Navy's basic research programs. The fiscal year 2017
Omnibus Appropriations bill reduced Navy basic research funding by more
than 16 percent or $108 million from fiscal year 2016 enacted. Navy
basic research funding provided in fiscal year 2017 is below levels
appropriated in fiscal year 2010 enacted. This reduction came despite
increases in the basic research accounts for the Army (+3.8 percent),
Air Force (+2.8 percent) and Defense-Wide (+6.8 percent).
Specifically, the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus funds the Navy's
University Research Initiatives program at levels below fiscal year
2012 enacted. This will limit the program's flexibility in supporting
high-value scientific research of importance to the Navy. In addition,
the Navy's Defense Research Sciences program is funded below fiscal
year 2011 levels in the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus and reduced by more
than $83 million relative to fiscal year 2016 enacted. These reductions
could result between 160 and 500 scientific research projects not being
funded. This will likely impact research in key areas such as unmanned
air vehicles, environmental quality, propulsion hydromechanics, power
generation, human systems, bioinspired autonomous and surveillance
systems, casualty care and management, and casualty prevention.
Furthermore, the Navy may have to reduce its STEM activities, sponsor
fewer graduate fellowships at HBCUs and decrease support for the Young
Investigator Program.
Before new technologies can be developed, new knowledge must be
created. This requires sustained investment across scientific
disciplines to foster the internal (laboratory) and external (academic
and industry) workforce and infrastructure that can anticipate and
support the development of disruptive technologies while also ensuring
superior knowledge of the battlespace environment, both above and below
the ocean surface.
With much of the world's population living on or near the coast, 90
percent of global trade carried by ships, increasing access to the
Arctic Ocean, a rapidly changing ocean environment --warming and
changing circulation and weather patterns-- and new anti-access, area
denial challenges in critical regions, the need to advance and protect
US maritime superiority is clear. We must ensure the Navy has the
resources to support the necessary basic research required to develop
the technologies that will help ensure the U.S. maintains its
technological superiority in the seas.
applied research and defense s&t recommendations
Fundamental scientific research is just the first step in creating
new military technologies. Researchers and scientists must apply the
fundamental knowledge learned through basic research in order to solve
military problems and develop the systems and components for potential
solutions. The private sector is unable to assume the risk of applying
fundamental knowledge to field the military technologies of tomorrow.
In order to ensure that discoveries made through basic research are
translated into practical military applications, we offer the following
recommendations for our priority applied research PEs and overall S&T.
[$ in Thousands]
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Fiscal Year
---------------------------------------------
Agency/Account Program Element (PE) 2016 2017 2018
Enacted Enacted Recommendation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Army RDT&E Materials Technology 68,314 82,533 General Support
Army RDT&E Sensors and Electronic Survivability 58,374 51,109 General Support
Army RDT&E Advanced Weapons Technology 38,028 53,803 General Support
Army RDT&E Advanced Concepts 27,862mulatio30,688 General Support
Army RDT&E Human Factors Engineering Technology 23,681 23,671 General Support
Army RDT&E Computer 12,656ftware 13,811logyGeneral Support
Army RDT&E High Performance Computin222,159nizati222,190 General Support
Navy RDT&E Marine Corps Lan51,708e Techn69,765 General Support
Navy RDT&E Common Pi42,551Applied41,185rch General Support
Navy RDT&E Warfighter Sustainment Applied Research 45,056 50,467 General Support
Navy RDT&E Electromagnetic Systems Applied Research 115,051 120,941 General Support
Navy RDT&E Ocean Warfighting Environmental Applied 72,252 81,618 General Support
Research
Navy RDT&E Future Naval Capabili179,686plied 157,103h General Support
Navy RDT&E Manufacturing Technology Program 57,074 56,712 General Support
Navy RDT&E Advanced Undersea Prototyping N/A 59,479 General Support
Air Force RDT&E Materials 133,734 159,152 General Support
Air Force RDT&E Human Effectiveness Applied Research 110,530 111,647 General Support
Air Force RDT&E Aerospace Sensors 152,291 162,674 General Support
Air Force RDT&E Directed Energy Technology 115,604 127,163 General Support
Air Force RDT&E Dominant Information Sciences and Methods 169,409 166,650 General Support
Air Force RDT&E High Energy Laser Research 41,855 42,300 General Support
Defense-Wide RDT&E Cyber Sec13,701Researc12,183 General Support
Defense-Wide RDT&E Defense-Wide Manufacturing S&T Program 156,743 158,398 General Support
Defense-Wide RDT&E Engineering Science and Technology 18,341 22,659 General Support
-- Overall Defense Science & Technology Program 13,250,806 14,011,229 14,571,678
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The coalition would like to specifically highlight its support for
the Defense-Wide Manufacturing Science and Technology PE, which
provides resources for DoD's contribution to the Manufacturing USA
Network. The Network acts as a catalyst to spur private investment in
our national security technology. In fact, every Federal dollar
invested in the Manufacturing USA Network so far has spurred $2.05 of
private sector investment into technologies to further our national
security. Initiatives such as Manufacturing USA allow the Federal
Government to leverage its partnerships with industry to enable
innovation throughout the entire manufacturing ecosystem, ensuring the
U.S. is able to domestically manufacture the world's most respected and
capable weapons systems, such as the F-35 fighter jet, the M1-A2 tank,
and the Ohio Class submarine, while also securing our economic
prosperity.
darpa recommendation
DARPA's ability to create truly revolutionary new capabilities is
well documented. The Internet, stealth technology, nearly all the
technologies found in mobile phones and more recently an upper-limb
prosthesis for military amputees inspired by the limb that Luke
Skywalker wore in the Star Wars films. The U.S. needs organizations
like DARPA that specialize in undertaking high-risk, high-reward
research and development to create game-changing technologies. DARPA's
unique research model helps ensure that we remain ahead of our
adversaries.
We recommend a funding level of $3 billion for DARPA in fiscal year
2018.
defense medical research recommendations
In order to maintain a strong military, the U.S. must have healthy
families and soldiers. It is imperative for DoD to contribute to curing
diseases that affect not only men and women in the military, but also
the public since we have an all-volunteer force. Defense medical
research programs help ensure the United States has the medical
technologies necessary to enable military readiness and serve those who
have been wounded on the battlefield. Developments in battlefield
medicine also contribute to significant advances which benefit civilian
trauma-related medical practice, such as regenerative medicines,
vaccine developments, battlefield dressings, and one-handed
tourniquets. We offer the following recommendations for CNSR priority
Defense medical research PEs.
[$ in Thousands]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal Year
---------------------------------------------
Agency/Account Program Element (PE) 2016 2017 2018
Enacted Enacted Recommendation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Army RDT&E Medical Technology 76,853 79,111 82,275
Army RDT&E Medical Advanced Technology 108,584 107,365 111,660
Army RDT&E Medical Systems Advanced Development 31,962 54,120 56,285
DHP RDT&E Research, Development, Test and Evaluation 10,996 9,097 9,461
Research
DHP RDT&E Exploratory Development 59,471 58,517 60,858
DHP RDT&E Undistributed Medical Research/Peer-Reviewed/ 1,150,800 1,279,200 1,330,368
CDMRPs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, thank you for allow us to submit outside testimony as you
begin developing the fiscal year 2018 Defense Appropriations bill.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance
during the fiscal year 2018 appropriations process.
______
Prepared Statement of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
On behalf of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), I
appreciate the opportunity to share our funding priorities for the
fiscal 2018 Defense Appropriations Act. COL represents the nation's
leading ocean science, technology, and education institutions, with the
mission to shape the future of ocean science. Ocean science strengthens
our national security, supports a safe and efficient marine
transportation system, underpins our economy, and furthers
understanding of complex ocean and coastal processes important to our
everyday lives--today and tomorrow. Aligning with like-minded security
science organizations and coalitions, we respectfully request the
Subcommittee provide no less than $2.3 billion for the Defense basic
research program elements, $14.5 billion for the Defense Science &
Technology program, and $3 billion for the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA). To ensure our nation can maintain maritime
battlespace superiority in an increasingly unstable world, COL
respectfully requests the subcommittee oppose the significant cuts in
funding proposed in the President's fiscal year 2018 budget request and
provide the Navy with no less than the science and technology funding
levels appropriated in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill,
which were $671 million for basic research (6.1), $967 million for
applied research (6.2), and $697 million for advanced technology
development (6.3). Ensuring robust and sustained funding for Navy
science and technology programs and partnerships (which represent a
small fraction of the overall Navy budget) is key to ensuring the
culture of innovation and initiative that DoD has prioritized
(internally as well as with its non-Federal research partners). It is
also needed to stem the erosion of the U.S. competitive advantage in
ocean sciences and understanding and exploiting the ocean environment
(USN Task Force Ocean Problem Statement).
Federal investment is required to meet the endstate goals of the
U.S. Navy's Task Force Ocean:
--Navy-relevant ocean science infrastructure in the U.S. remains
measurably ahead of our competitors
--The U.S. Navy's capability and capacity to understand and exploit
the ocean environment remain measurably ahead of our
competitors
--The U.S. Navy's capability and capacity to exploit the full range
of science and technology development in the U.S. advance
through increased permeability between the Navy and government,
academia, and the private sector
The fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill cut Navy's basic
research funding more than 16 percent, below the fiscal year 2010
enacted funding level. The fiscal year 2017 omnibus funded the Navy's
University Research Initiative below fiscal year 2012 enacted funding,
and Navy's Defense Research Sciences fiscal year 2017 funding fell
below fiscal year 2011 levels ($83 million cut from fiscal year 2016
funding). Reductions such as these could mean 160-500 research project
not receiving funding, effectively limiting the Navy's ability to
``exploit the full range of science and technology development''
occurring through partnerships with academia. Additional to losses in
critical research areas like observations and modelling, unmanned
vehicles, power generation, propulsion hydromechanics, bioinspired
autonomous and surveillance systems, environmental quality, casualty
care and management, and casualty prevention, the Navy may be forced to
reduce its STEM activities. Whether decreasing support for the Young
Investigator Program or sponsoring fewer graduate fellowships at HBCUs
and HSIs, this is a major loss to the human capital and tactical
workforce development identified as a key issue by Navy's Task Force
Ocean.
An Ocean Planet; A Maritime Nation
Earth is an ocean planet, with saltwater covering more than 71
percent of its surface. The ocean sustains life itself--providing the
oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, water for drinking and farming,
energy to run our societies, and even the warmth that has allowed
humanity to thrive. One half of the oxygen on Earth comes from marine
phytoplankton. Seafood contributes 15 percent of animal protein for
three billion people (another billion rely on fisheries for their main
source of protein). The ocean holds 97 percent of Earth's water, which
then becomes freshwater for drinking, farming, and manufacturing.
Roughly 80 percent of global energy comes from petroleum formed in
ancient seas. Around the world, 350 million jobs are linked to the
ocean, and coastal zones contribute $26.8 trillion to the global
economy each year.
The U.S. is a maritime nation, with more ocean area in our
Exclusive Economic Zone than in our terrestrial 50 States combined.
From the very beginning, the U.S. has turned to the sea for protection,
exploration, lifestyle, economic security, food, recreation, and
energy. Our country is protected by a Navy battle force of 275 ships,
118 Army watercrafts, 245 Coast Guard cutters, and over 80 coastal
military bases. The ocean is an economic driver to more than three
million Americans who work in ocean and coastal industries (which are
worth $359 billion annually). The ocean's role in food security is
critical--it provides 20 percent of the animal protein we depend on for
food, provides fishmeal that fertilizes the nation's crops, and is the
major driver of the weather and water cycle that bring warmth and water
to inland farms. Our nation's competitive security advantage doesn't
rest solely on the best charts and finest navigation technologies but
also upon the ability to predict and plan for threats on the horizon.
Changes in ocean and atmospheric systems can quickly snowball into
disturbances in food supplies, human population migrations, and
geopolitical instability.
Ocean Science: Vital To The Nation's Security
Ocean science and technology provide the nation with a knowledge
advantage against myriad maritime threats we face, both now and in the
future. Basic ocean research forms the critical foundation needed to
ensure continuity of our superior knowledge of the ocean, which in turn
generates warfare advantage and ensures homeland security. However, the
Navy's competitive advantage over key military competitors in
understanding and exploiting the ocean environment has diminished and
can only be reestablished through investments in science and technology
research across all agencies. Asian and European ocean education and
research enterprises have, in many cases, matched or exceeded that in
the U.S. Admiral James Watkins, former Chief of Naval Operations, often
remarked that oceanography was a key determinant in the U.S. Cold War
``victory,'' due to the knowledge advantage provided to our forward
deployed maritime forces, especially our submarines. We are firmly
convinced that ocean science and technology today can and must provide
us with the same knowledge advantage against the myriad maritime
threats we face today.
The academic research community has enjoyed a long and productive
partnership with the U.S. Navy in helping to ensure maritime military
readiness, domain awareness, and warfighting advantage. This success
has its foundation in sustained investment in supporting science and
technology programs implemented through the 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 programs.
The 3rd Offset Strategy highlighted by Secretary of Defense Carter and
other service leaders in congressional testimony acknowledges the
challenge to U.S. military superiority through increasing competition
in science and technology by other nations. Investments in science and
technology now are crucial to ensuring future capabilities, which take
time and sustained funding to nurture through the research and
development process and to integrate into the operational battlespace.
A good example of this is the continued acceleration of Autonomous
Undersea Vehicles (AUV) and other ground-breaking submarine technology
usage in the undersea environment by the Navy and Department of Defense
(DoD). The impact of the ocean environment on these systems is even
more pronounced than it was for the manned and tethered systems of the
past. Acoustic advantage; endurance and energy consumption; autonomy;
and effective command, control, and communications for AUV are heavily
influenced by ocean conditions. These must be measured, modeled, and
accurately predicted to ensure undersea warfare advantage is maintained
against a global undersea threat that is ever-growing in complexity and
proliferation. Basic ocean research provides the critical foundation to
ensure continuity of our undersea knowledge superiority that generates
warfare advantage. Simply put, our undersea forces must be able to win
every ``away game,'' and we therefore must be able to exploit the ocean
environment to ensure ``home field advantage'' at those ``away games.''
Intelligence Advantage Through Ocean Knowledge--Understanding, Modeling
and Predicting
As defined by the Navy, Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is the
``effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime
domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment
of the United States.'' \1\ MDA is comprised of situational awareness
(observable and known) and threat awareness (anticipated or
suspected)--a mix of operational intelligence and environmental data
and information. Whether it is basic oceanographic research or ocean
modelling, a better understanding of the ocean system significantly
enhances MDA. The security advantage gained through increased ocean
knowledge is not limited to the warfighting arena. Beyond situational
awareness, contributions of forward-deployed naval forces and
information and intelligence capacities of Navy and the intelligence
community (e.g., CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA) benefit from basic and applied
research programs, as well as partnerships with academic institutions
supporting robust ocean observations and monitoring to enhance threat
awareness. Understanding the ocean system and modelling scenarios form
the foundation of trustworthy predictions, which in turn improve our
nation's security advantage by moving us along the spectrum from
situational awareness to threat awareness and ultimately to threat
prediction.
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\1\ https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/
HSPD_MDAPlan_0.pdf.
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The Department of Defense Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap \2\ and
both of the most recent Quadrennial Defense Reviews \3,4\ have
recognized that changing climate is a threat to national security, and
its effects must be assessed and addressed through adaptation. The
melting of sea ice and permafrost, acidification of the seas, and decay
of large ice sheets are just some of the ways the polar regions have
responded to changing ocean and atmospheric conditions. Half of the
world's population lives within 60 km of the ocean, 75 percent of all
large cities are on the coast,\5\ and the U.S. coastal population is
expected to increase by an additional 10 million people by 2020.\6\ As
many as 650 million people across the world are at risk from rising
seas by the end of the century.\7\ Just this year, we've begun to see a
slowdown of ocean circulation in the Atlantic,\8\ which is symptomatic
of broader changes in global ocean circulation patterns that directly
impact military operations (e.g., anti-submarine warfare) while also
affecting storm and drought intensity (and the concomitant humanitarian
response implications) and the chronic -but significant- concerns
surrounding the rate of sea level rise on naval installations and
facilities.
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\2\ http://www.acq.osd.mil/ie/download/CCARprint.pdf.
\3\ http://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/features/defenseReviews/QDR/
QDR_as_of_29JAN10_
1600.pdf.
\4\ http://archive.defense.gov/pubs/
2014_Quadrennial_Defense_Review.pdf.
\5\ http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/issues/coastal_zones.asp.
\6\ http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/population.html.
\7\ http://www.climatecentral.org/news/new-analysis-global-
exposure-to-sea-level-rise-flooding-18066.
\8\ Rahmstorf, S., et al. 2015. Exceptional twentieth-century
slowdown in Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation. Nature Clim. Change
5, 475--480 (2015).
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Through threatened freshwater sources (due to saltwater intrusion),
loss of protein sources, submerged land, and increases in disease and
other human health concerns,\9\ human populations living within coastal
zones across the globe are the groups to be impacted most directly by a
changing ocean. Whether abroad or at home, displacement or abandonment,
mass migrations, and conflict over resources are real security threats
both on the coasts and inland.
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\9\ http://widenerlawreview.org/files/2010/04/07-KUNDIS-CRAIG-
Final.pdf.
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Navigating Changing Ocean Conditions--Sensing and Observing
The Navy and DoD have a distinguished history of fostering the
science and technology that has been responsible for U.S. military
success and superiority. There is growing concern that this superiority
is being challenged by a significant increase in investment by our
rivals, while funding support for science and technology within DoD and
the Navy has languished. This is particularly apparent in the proposed
reduction in the Navy 6.2 and 6.3 funding included in the president's
budget request, which would result in an approximately 10-20 percent
decrease in research and technology development resources.
With the ocean providing 20 percent of the animal protein in the
human diet \10\ and 24 percent of global land degrading (25 percent
rangeland, 20 percent cropland),\11\ it is understandable that illegal,
unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) and desertification are not
only food security issues but ultimately ones of national security.
Changes in ocean conditions directly associated with access in the
Arctic lead to expanded navigation and commerce in the region (e.g.,
shipping, fishing, oil and gas exploration, bioprospecting, mining) and
could result in disputes amongst nations or accidents requiring search
and rescue or other response.
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\10\ http://www.education.noaa.gov/Ocean_and_Coasts/.
\11\ http://www.un.org/en/events/desertification_decade/
value.shtml.
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Whether considering ocean conditions to better understand drought
forecasts or to model changes in fish distributions, data and
information from the sea strengthen the Navy's awareness of conflict
catalysts. However, these data and information must be gathered. Ocean
observation platforms and sensor technology advancement allow for real-
time characterization of ocean conditions as well as necessary data to
assess trends. The basic and applied research lines, robust
partnerships and collaborations with ocean science and technology
institutions, and in-house surveying capabilities all support the
increase of ocean knowledge for our nation's security advantage.
Given the critical importance of ocean knowledge in both the
warfighting arena and in threat awareness, the ocean science community
greatly appreciates the subcommittee's continuing recognition of the
importance of the Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR)
research vessels fleet. COL strongly supports inclusion of adequate
funds in the 6.2 account to complete the Service Life Extension Program
of the AGOR-23 class, which adds 10-15 years of life to the vessels and
ensures the availability of unique platforms capable of performing
multidisciplinary, high endurance missions that support Navy
information needs around the globe. There is also concern that the Navy
does not have a long-term plan to recapitalize its operational
oceanographic survey ship fleet. The T-AGS 60 Pathfinder class will
begin to exceed their planned life expectancy within the next decade,
and it is imperative that replacement ships be included in the Navy's
long-term ship building plan.
Long-term Commitment to People, Platforms, and Partnerships--Human
Capital and Tactical Workforce
It is hard to overemphasize the significant advantages that have
resulted from Navy support for basic research, including highly trained
people, cutting-edge technology, and innovative ideas. The advantage
and benefits that have accrued to DoD and the Navy cannot be attributed
solely to the amount of investment; equally important is the Office of
Naval Research's culture that understood the importance of providing
sustained support for technology development and the cultivation of
researchers, including early career and established scientists
(internally and among its academic partners). The cultivation of people
and technology in support of national security priorities is well
beyond the mission and role of other Federal agencies supporting ocean
science, such as the National Science Foundation and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For example, the U.S. Navy's
competitive advantage in undersea warfare research relies on the
ability to execute unique data collection systems and sea-going
expertise. The backbone for these programs is comprised of partnering
scientists, expert engineers, and technicians with decades of
experience in executing research at sea.
It is also important to recognize the important role science and
technology funding plays in the development of new technology (e.g.,
sensors, platforms, models, data analytics) that are essential to
helping the Navy meet its mission requirements. Much of the
oceanographic equipment in use today, for defense and nondefense
research, observations, and modeling, has resulted from Navy investment
in its development, as well as its integration to defense and non-
defense at-sea platforms and in research labs through the Defense
University Research Instrumentation Program. Unfortunately, the level
of investment in technology development has seriously declined in
recent years, with greater focus being placed on the transition of
applied technology into operations. The negative impacts of this shift
in emphasis and support has been realized as the flow of new
technologies and their application to Navy mission requirements slows,
just as the increased investments by rivals begins to bear fruit. Task
Force Ocean specifically targets ocean related technology development
through and with the Navy, academia, and the private sector.
Additional to the technology shortfalls, there is a human capital
issue. Forty-seven percent of American geoscientists in the private
sector and 43 percent in the Federal Government are over the age of 55,
making them likely to retire in the next 10 years.\12\ The Workforce
Research team at the American Geosciences Institute calculated that
there will be a shortfall of 135,000 geoscientists in the U.S.
workforce over the next decade. Specifically Navy-focused, the Navy
oceanography enterprise has lost more than half of its physicists and
geophysicists and 12 percent of its physical scientists and
oceanographers in the last decade alone. In the last 20 years, the
Naval Research Laboratory has lost approximately 50 percent of is
acousticians and 13 percent of its oceanographers. We can ill afford to
have a shortage of these workers, both military and civilian, who are
vital for the national security community.
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\12\ Distribution of Geoscientists, Fedscope, March 2015, https://
www.fedscope.opm.gov/ibmcognos/cgi-bin/cognosisapi.dll.
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Conclusion
Ocean science and geosciences writ large impact every American
every day. Across the nation, across science disciplines, and across
the Federal family, it is clear that robust and sustained Federal
investments in ocean and geosciences are key to addressing global and
national challenges; underpinning new and growing economies while
maintaining and supporting existing ones; and improving technologies
that preserve lives and livelihoods, persons, and property. As the
subcommittee drafts the fiscal year 2018 spending bill, we hope that
you reflect on the Navy's concern with the erosion of competitive
advantage in the ocean science and technology arena and the fact that
the bulk of the intellectual capacity regarding the ocean resides
within the academic research community. Peer-reviewed extramural
research is the most efficient and effective vehicle for providing our
policy makers and our commercial partners with the expertise,
information, and data necessary to address the emerging challenges
facing our nation.
To maintain global stability, it is critically important that the
nation understands the factors of conflict catalysts. To successfully
navigate a changing physical, chemical, and biological ocean while
maintaining geopolitical establishments, the Navy must regain their
competitive advantage in understanding the ocean and coastal baseline
conditions, changing conditions, forecasted conditions, vulnerabilities
of undersea and coastal infrastructure, and the threatened human
population. The changing climate and ocean systems are altering when
and where our military may be called to duty, but also how the military
can respond. Rising sea levels affect amphibious landing opportunities,
and extreme weather could impact deployment, intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. It is through the robust
Federal support of the Navy's basic and applied research, maintaining
superiority in technology development and integration, and through
collaborative partnerships with ocean science and technology
institutions that this will happen.
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, the ocean science and
technology community appreciates the support that the subcommittee
provided for oceanographic research and technology advancement, and we
hope that you will continue to prioritize science investments to ensure
the U.S. can maintain its superiority at sea. We greatly appreciate
your consideration of our recommendations and are available to discuss
these recommendations with you further at your earliest convenience.
Below is a list of institutions that are represented by the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership:
Alabama
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Alaska
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)
North Pacific Research Board
University of Alaska Fairbanks
California
Aquarium of the Pacific
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Esri
L-3 MariPro, Inc.
Liquid Robotics, Inc.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Romberg Tiburon Research Laboratory
Stanford University
Teledyne RD Instruments
U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Southern California
Colorado
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
Connecticut
University of Connecticut
Delaware
University of Delaware
Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System
(MARACOOS)
Florida
Earth2Ocean
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Institute of Oceanography
Mote Marine Laboratory
Nova Southeastern University
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of South Florida
Georgia
Savannah State University
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia
Hawaii
University of Hawaii
Illinois
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Louisiana
ASV Global, LLC
Louisiana State University
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
Maine
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
The IOOS Association
University of Maine
Maryland
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
National Aquarium
Severn Marine Technologies, LLC
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Michigan
University of Michigan
Mississippi
University of Mississippi
University of Southern Mississippi
New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
New Jersey
Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute
Rutgers University
New York
Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Stony Brook University
North Carolina
Duke University
East Carolina University
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Oregon
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
University of South Carolina
Tennessee
Eastman Chemical Company
Texas
Harte Research Institute For Gulf of Mexico Studies
Shell Oil Company
Sonardyne, Inc.
Texas A&M University
University of Texas at Austin
Virginia
College of William & Mary (VIMS)
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Old Dominion University
Teledyne CARIS
U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Washington
Sea-Bird Scientific
University of Washington
Washington, D.C.
Marine Technology Society (MTS)
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA)
Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA)
Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
Australia
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)
Bermuda
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Canada
Dalhousie University
University of Victoria Ocean Networks Canada
[This statement was submitted by RADM Jonathan White, USN (Ret.),
President and CEO, Consortium for Ocean Leadership.]
______
Prepared Statement of Galois, Inc.
recommendation
_______________________________________________________________________
--Provide an additional $5 million in RDTE, AF Aerospace Vehicle
Technologies (R-1 line 5, PE 0602201F) for Formal Methods
implementations in support of Trustworthy Flight Controls and
Pilot Vehicle Interface.
_______________________________________________________________________
Computer programs are based on algorithms, and are usually tested
to see that they work safely, correctly, and securely by trying many
data points. However, there is always the possibility that a program
will malfunction under some untested condition--and testing every
possible condition is virtually impossible. The resulting malfunctions
can be as simple as a buffer overflow error, where a program copies a
little more data than it should and overwrites a small piece of the
computer's memory. It's a seemingly innocuous error that is hard to
eliminate but provides an opening for hackers to attack a system. Any
flaw anywhere in any piece of software can become a security
vulnerability, and it is time and cost prohibitive to test every
possible path of every possible input. The National Institute of
Standards and Technology issued a report to the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy in November, 2016 entitled ``Dramatically
Reducing Software Vulnerabilities'' which states ``In the case of
typical software, estimates are up to 25 errors per 1000 lines of
code'' and ``nearly two thirds of vulnerabilities come from simple
programming errors.''
Breakthroughs have recently been made in using mathematics and
logic to verify software. Instead of trying to individually test every
possible condition, this approach uses a mathematical specification to
define exactly what a computer program does, and a formal verification
process to prove beyond a doubt that the program's code perfectly
achieves that exact specification and only that specification. In the
NIST report, this is called ``Formal Methods''. Formal methods include
all software analysis approaches based on mathematics and logic,
including parsing, type checking, correctness proofs, model-based
development and correct-by-construction. Formal methods help software
developers achieve greater assurance that entire classes of
vulnerabilities are absent and also reduce the need for unpredictable
cycles of expensive testing and bug fixing. Other advanced methods
being explored by the Air Force include system level security, additive
software analysis, domain specific software development frameworks,
moving target defenses, and automatic software diversity.
The Aerospace Systems Autonomous Controls Branch of the Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Dayton, Ohio is a government leader in developing and applying formal
methods technology and tools for aerospace applications. AFRL is
investing over $2.5 million in fiscal year 2017 to accelerate formal
methods implementations in support of key Air Force programs. An
additional $5 million is urgently needed in fiscal year 2018 to expand
this work on identifying software vulnerabilities, retrofitting
existing safety-critical systems, and developing new trustworthy
systems applicable to remotely piloted aircraft, hypersonic aircraft,
and extended-life legacy aircraft. This request is for a generic
program increase to an existing, budgeted Air Force project, for which
any industry contracts will be competitively awarded.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony for the
record.
[This statement was submitted by Dr. Robert Wiltbank, Chief
Executive Officer, Galois, Inc.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
On behalf of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), we
are pleased to provide this written testimony to the Senate
Subcommittee on Defense and Related Agencies for the official record.
HFES urges the Subcommittee to provide robust funding levels for
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) at the Department
of Defense (DoD) in the fiscal year 2018 appropriations process.
Specifically, we urge the Subcommittee to direct DoD to identify
opportunities to transition human performance research to defense
acquisition programs to reduce cost, strengths force protection, reduce
potential for re-engineering, and enhance training.
HFES and its members recognize and appreciate the challenging
fiscal environment in which we as a nation currently find ourselves;
however, we believe strongly that investment in scientific research
serves as an important driver for innovation and the economy and for
maintaining American global competitiveness. We thank the Subcommittee
for its longtime recognition of the value of scientific and engineering
research and its contribution to innovation in the U.S.
the value of human factors and ergonomics science
HFES is a multidisciplinary professional association with over
4,500 individual members worldwide, including psychologists and other
scientists, engineers, and designers, all with a common interest in
designing safe and effective systems and equipment that maximize and
adapt to human capabilities.
For over 50 years, the U.S. Federal Government has funded
scientists and engineers to explore and better understand the
relationship between humans, technology, and the environment.
Originally stemming from urgent needs to improve the performance of
humans using complex systems such as aircraft during World War II, the
field of human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) works to develop safe,
effective, and practical human use of technology. HF/E does this by
developing scientific approaches for understanding this complex
interface, also known as ``human-systems integration.'' Today, HF/E is
applied to fields as diverse as transportation, architecture,
environmental design, consumer products, electronics and computers,
energy systems, medical devices, manufacturing, office automation,
organizational design and management, aging, farming, health, sports
and recreation, oil field operations, mining, forensics, and education.
With increasing reliance by Federal agencies and the private sector
on technology-aided decisionmaking, HF/E is vital to effectively
achieving our national objectives. While a large proportion of HF/E
research exists at the intersection of science and practice--that is,
HF/E is often viewed more at the ``applied'' end of the science
continuum--the field also contributes to advancing ``fundamental''
scientific understanding of the interface between human decisionmaking,
engineering, design, technology, and the world around us. The reach of
HF/E is profound, touching nearly all aspects of human life from the
healthcare sector, to the ways we travel, to the hand-held devices we
use every day.
human factors and ergonomics at the department of defense
HFES and its members believe strongly that Federal investment in
DoD will have a direct and positive impact on the U.S. economy,
national security, and the safety and well-being of Americans. It is
for these reasons that HFES supports robust funding for DoD, especially
for the Army Human Factors Engineering Technology applied research
program and the Navy Personnel, Training, Simulation, and Human Factors
program within Engineering and Manufacturing Development to encourage
further advancements in the fields of technology, safety, and human
factors, among others.
DoD has openly acknowledged the significance of human factors
research and the potential for interagency collaboration through the
creation of the Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering
Technical Group (DoD HFE TAG). Composed of representatives from DoD,
National Aeronautical and Space Association (NASA), Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
the scope of this working group is broad and its benefits are diverse.
In particular, the goals of DoD HFE TAG are to:
--Provide a mechanism for the timely exchange of technical
information in the development and application of human factors
engineering.
--Enhance coordination among government agencies involved in HF/E
technology research, development, and application.
--Assist in the preparation and coordination of tri-service
documents, and sponsor in-depth interaction, which aids in
identifying HF/E technical issues and technology gaps.
This research undoubtedly affects the safety and well-being of
American citizens and it is for this reason that we request robust
funding levels for human factors research in DoD in fiscal year 2018.
conclusion
Given DoD's critical role in supporting fundamental research and
development across defense and engineering disciplines, HFES supports
robust funding levels for DoD RDT&E programs, especially those that
specifically fund human factors, in fiscal year 2018 as well as
improvements to the inclusion of human systems integration in
acquisition programs. These investments fund important research
studies, enabling an evidence base, methodology, and measurements for
improving organizational function, performance, and design across
sectors and disciplines.
On behalf of HFES, we would like to thank you for the opportunity
to provide this testimony. Please do not hesitate to contact us should
you have any questions about HFES or HF/E research. HFES truly
appreciates the Subcommittee's long history of support for scientific
research and innovation.
[This statement was submitted by Nancy J. Cooke, Ph.D., President,
and Lynn Strother, Executive Director, Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society.]
______
Prepared Statement of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson's Research
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF)
appreciates the opportunity to comment on fiscal year 2018
appropriations for the U.S. Department of Defense. Our comments focus
on the importance of Federal investment in biomedical research at the
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). MJFF
supports appropriation of at least $20 million to the CDMRP Parkinson's
Research Program (PRP), which will go part of the way toward recovering
money lost since 2010, when the program was funded at $25 million, and
bring us closer to better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease
(PD).
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of PD research, MJFF is
dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's and developing
improved therapies for those living with the disease today. In funding
more than $700 million in PD research to date, the Foundation has
fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure.
However, MJFF investments are a complement to, rather than a substitute
for, federally funded research. With critically needed Parkinson's
breakthroughs on the horizon, robust and reliable Federal funding is
imperative to drive progress. Currently, there is no therapy to slow,
stop or reverse the progression of PD. Additionally, existing
treatments are limited in their abilities to address patients' medical
needs and remain effective over time.
An estimated 80,000 veterans and one million people overall live in
the United States with PD, the second most common neurodegenerative
disease after Alzheimer's disease. Parkinson's results in an estimated
annual economic burden of $19.8 to $26.4 billion. Investing in research
on the front end to develop innovative therapies and cures can lower
back-end costs. New treatments would relieve the burden on Medicare,
Medicaid and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
prp: efforts to prevent and stop parkinson's progression
Started in 1997, the CDMRP's Parkinson's Research Program aims to
identify and understand risk factors associated with PD (such as
chemical exposures, psychological stress and traumatic brain injury) in
order to prevent or delay the onset of symptoms, as well as advance the
development of new treatments. The program has granted more than 250
awards to investigate a variety of mechanisms of and factors
influencing disease progression.
In recent years, program funding has significantly decreased (from
$25 million in fiscal year 2010 to $16 million in fiscal year 2016).
Reinstating funding at previous budget levels will ensure scientific
progress of importance to our Nation's service members can continue.
For example, Parkinson's research has linked certain chemicals to
the disease. Environmental chemical exposures are a potential health
hazard to soldiers during deployments and through exposure to military
materiel such as jet fuel and permethrin-impregnated uniforms. The
Parkinson's Research Program has supported a range of studies on
environmental chemical exposures to identify hazards to soldiers and
the public. DoD-funded studies have found strong associations between
organochlorine pesticides and neurodegenerative disease. In addition,
fundamental advances in neurobiology made possible by DoD funding are
providing new understanding and identifying biological markers to
evaluate the role of chemical exposures, head injury and chronic
psychological stress in neurodegenerative disease risk. Understanding
possible environmental causes of Parkinson's will help the military
reduce exposure for their soldiers through protective equipment or
other mitigations and help civilians take action to reduce their risk.
cdmrp: unique research with reach beyond the military
The research portfolio supported by the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Program fuels scientific discovery by propelling
exploration of revolutionary ideas and concepts with potential impact
for support and treatment for members of the military and the greater
national population. The CDMRP funds highly innovative projects--for
which support is typically limited or unavailable--from research teams
at top universities and medical centers.
It is important to note, as well, Department of Defense (DoD)
programs neither duplicate nor supplant National Institutes of Health
(NIH) research programs, but rather enhance those efforts. NIH-funded
basic research serves as a foundation for groundbreaking, disorder-
targeted research at the DoD. NIH and DoD program officers meet to
ensure collaboration and prevent duplication.
The well-executed and efficient programs within the defense health
research programs demonstrate responsible government stewardship of
taxpayer dollars and benefit current and former military service
members, the general patient population and our Nation's economy. DoD's
biomedical research funding has led to many significant breakthroughs
and achievements, contributing to national security and the health and
welfare of U.S. Armed Forces personnel and their dependents.
Please continue investment in Americans' health and wellbeing by
allocating $20 million dollars for the PRP in fiscal year 2018 and
supporting CDMRP programs generally.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for
this opportunity to provide testimony on behalf of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society (Society) regarding Department of Defense
Appropriations for fiscal year 2018 and to discuss the importance of
Federal research programs that impact those affected by multiple
sclerosis (MS). As you consider priorities for fiscal year 2018, we
urge the Subcommittee to provide $10 million in discretionary spending
for the MS Research Program (MSRP) within the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central
nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the
brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and
tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity, and
specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most
people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at
least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the
disease.
The Society works to provide solutions to the challenges of
multiple sclerosis (MS) so that everyone affected by this disease can
live their best lives. To fulfill this mission, we fund cutting edge
research, drive change through advocacy, facilitate professional
education, collaborate with MS organizations around the world, and
provide services designed to help people affected by MS move their
lives forward. We see ourselves as a fundamental partner to the U.S.
government in many critical areas--particular in the field of MS
research. Last year, we dedicated approximately $40 million in MS
research that are complementary to research funded by the Federal
government, including the MSRP within the CDMRP.
The CDMRP is a peer-reviewed program funded through the Department
of Defense via the Defense Appropriations Act. Importantly, individual
programs like the MSRP are funded at the direction of Congress and fill
research gaps by funding high impact, high-risk and high gain projects
that other research agencies- like the NIH, may not venture to fund.
The CDMRPs are distinctive in that they involve active participation of
people living with the program disease area. These patients and patient
representatives are highly coveted roles, as they are involved in all
areas of the program- from establishing the mission/vision of the
program, to reviewing applications and making recommendations for
funding, and evaluating the impact of the program. People living with
MS value these opportunities within the MSRP as a way they can engage
in the research process. Further, the Society applauds the way MSRP's
design and believes that it aligns with the direction of patient
centered drug development and care.
MS and Military Service
In the United States, there are approximately 32,870 veterans
living with diagnosed MS. Out of that number, over 11,000 have MS that
is deemed service-connected, meaning that their MS was incurred or
aggravated during their military service. Each year, the Veterans
Health Administration provides care to more than 20,000 veterans living
with MS.
MS is considered a presumptive condition and veterans who have
symptoms of MS in the military or within 7 years after honorable
discharge are eligible for the service-connected status. An advisory
committee by the Veterans Administration recently recommended further
study into the potential link between combat service and increased risk
of developing MS. As the underlying cause of MS is still unknown, it is
imperative that the Federal government fund basic research to help
answer fundamental question, and research to help improve the lives of
those serving in the military who may be called upon to service in
areas and environments that may increase the risk of developing
diseases like MS later in life. Research into the underlying causes of
MS and improving methods of diagnosing, treating and potentially curing
MS is critical to improving the lives of our military servicemen and
servicewomen and all of those living with MS.
multiple sclerosis research program
The MS Research Program (MSRP) was established by Congress in 2009.
Its vision is to prevent, cure, reverse, or slow the progression, and
lessen the personal and societal impact of MS. Like many of the other
programs within the CDMRP, the MSRP specifically encourages
applications that address critical needs of the MS community and
concentrate on: the biological basis of disease progression, risk
factors leading to the prevention of MS, drug discovery and biomarkers
for preclinical detection of MS. To date, Congress has appropriated
approximately $40 million dollars to the MSRP, including $6 million in
2017. From those appropriations, the MSRP has funded 74 awards that
have funded studies that examine gap in MS from basic science to
rehabilitation research. As this is a relatively new program, many
studies are still in the publication process as biomarkers and other
discoveries move through the scientific process and are incorporated
into the drug discovery process.
A particular area of interest in MS research is imaging technology,
as diagnosis of MS and tracking disease progression remains
challenging, both for active duty military personnel, veterans and
civilians. MRI's are often used by healthcare providers to track
disease activity. Currently, MRI findings are not accepted by the Food
and Drug Administration as indicators of clinical meaningfulness in the
drug development and approval process and more research is needed in
the form of more long-term studies correlating brain MRI with
disability progression.
This is a critical body of research that will improve the drug
development process, the ability of the healthcare system to better
track disease progression and activity, and allow healthcare providers
to better anticipate the needs of people living with MS. The National
Institutes of Health, the nation's preeminent biomedical research
facility, also conducts imaging research within the National Institute
of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: however, the emphasis on the
research performed at that Agency is on technical development rather
than detailed applications to specific diseases. The clinical
application of the research done at MSRP is particularly important for
those who are living with MS and diagnosed in the military, as it will
facilitate better conversations surrounding troop readiness and the
ability of an individual to deploy.
The MSRP has funded many studies that have examined methods to
improve imaging technology to better track disease progression and to
allow for direct detection and quantification of myelin changes in
people living with MS. Two innovative ways that imaging improvements
are being explored are summarized below:
--Researchers at Case Western Reserve University were funded by the
MSRP in 2009 to examine in vivo imaging of myelination for drug
discovery. Their goal was to develop novel therapeutics for MS.
These researchers developed a myelin-imaging agent, Case
Imaging Compound (CIC), which penetrates the blood-brain
barrier and attaches to myelinated regions of the brain. CIC
has been used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging
that allows for direct imaging of myelin changes in vivo. These
studies indicate that this type of imaging could be used as an
imaging marker of can be used as an imaging marker of
myelination, which has the potential to be translated into
clinical studies in MS and other myelin-related diseases for
early diagnosis, sub-typing, and efficacious evaluation of
therapeutic treatments aimed at myelin repair. The researchers
plan to utilize this imaging to examine the efficacy of
therapeutic agents in animal models of MS. Results from this
study, and subsequent follow up studies, have been published in
Journal of Neuroscience and the Annals of Neurology.
--A MSRP funded study that is currently underway at Vanderbilt
University is examining ways to improve magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) techniques to quantifiably measure underlying
tissue abnormality in brain gray matter areas that results in
decreased cognitive performance. Conventional MRI methods are
not well suited to measure tissue damage and lesions in the
gray matter of the brain, if successful, this study may improve
the ability of the healthcare community to diagnose, understand
and treat cognitive issues. This study could be transformative
for people living with MS, but also for individuals who suffer
from other diseases and conditions that result in cognitive
impairment.
Because of the tremendous impact the MS CDMRP has on research and
development of potential therapies for MS, the National MS Society
requests that Congress provide $10 million in discretionary
appropriations. This funding will allow the CDMRP to continue the
innovative research that will improve the lives of those living with
MS. Because of limited funding, on average, fewer than 15 percent of
research applications submitted to the MSRP were able to be funded
annually between fiscal years 2009-2014.
The Society thanks the Committee for its investment in the CDMRP,
and in particular the MSRP. We appreciate the opportunity to provide
written testimony and our recommendations for fiscal year 2018
appropriations for the program. The MS CDMRP is of vital importance to
people living with MS and we look forward to continuing to working with
the Committee to help move us closer to a world free of MS.
[This statement was submitted by Leslie Ritter, MA, National
Multiple Sclerosis Society.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Neurofibromatosis Network
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to the
Subcommittee on the importance of continued funding for the Department
of Defense's Peer-reviewed Neurofibromatosis (NF) Research Program
(NFRP). NF is a terrible genetic disorder closely linked to many common
diseases widespread among the American population. The highly
successful Neurofibromatosis Research Program has shown tangible
results and direct military application with broad implications for the
general population.
On behalf of the Neurofibromatosis (NF) Network, a national
organization of NF advocacy groups, I speak on behalf of the 120,000
Americans who suffer from NF as well as approximately 175 million
Americans who suffer from diseases and conditions linked to NF such as
cancer, brain tumors, heart disease, memory loss, bone abnormalities,
deafness, blindness, and psychosocial disabilities, such as autism and
learning disabilities. Thanks in large part to this Subcommittee's
strong support, scientists have made enormous progress since the
discovery of the NF1 gene in 1990 resulting in clinical trials now
being undertaken by the NFRP.
In fiscal year 2018, we are requesting $15 million to continue the
Army's highly successful Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP). The
NFRP is now conducting clinical trials at nation-wide clinical trials
centers created by NFRP funding. These clinical trials involve drugs
that have already succeeded in eliminating tumors in humans and
rescuing learning deficits in mice. Administrators of the Army program
have stated that the number of high-quality scientific applications
justify a much larger program.
what is neurofibromatosis?
NF is an unpredictable genetic disorder of the nervous system that
affects almost every organ system in the body. There are three types of
NF: NF1, which is more common, NF2, which initially involves tumors
causing deafness and balance problems, and Schwannomatosis, the
hallmark of which is severe pain. NF causes tumors to grow along nerves
including in the skin, just below the skin, and in the brain and spinal
cord. NF is the most common neurological disorder caused by a single
gene and affects more people than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular
Dystrophy, Huntington's disease and Tay Sachs combined. It strikes
worldwide, without regard to gender, race or ethnicity. Approximately
50 percent of new NF cases result from a spontaneous mutation in an
individual's genes and 50 percent are inherited.
NF can cause a myriad of devastating clinical problems including
nerve and brain tumors; disfiguring skin growths; inability to heal
after bone fracture, which may ultimately require amputation;
psychosocial disabilities, including autism and learning disabilities;
unmanageable chronic pain; deafness; blindness; cardiovascular defects;
vascular disease; muscle weakness; and paralysis. NF gene mutations are
also important `drivers' of cancers in the lungs, liver, brain and
breast.
nf's connection to the military
Neurofibromatosis (NF) has become a clinical `model' for advancing
medical research. The genetic information learned from NF holds the key
to understanding a number of health issues that benefit the war
fighter, as well as the general population, including cancer, bone
fracture and repair, vascular disease, wound healing and nerve
regeneration, behavior and psychosocial issues, muscle weakness, and
pain.
The Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) is providing critical
research that directly benefits the War Fighter including:
Bone Repair.--At least a quarter of children with NF1 have abnormal
bone growth in any part of the skeleton. In the legs, the long bones
are weak, prone to fracture and unable to heal properly; this can
require amputation at a young age. Adults with NF1 also have low bone
mineral density, placing them at risk of skeletal weakness and injury.
The NFRP is a strong supporter of NF1 bone defects research and as a
result this field has made significant progress in the past few years.
Bone fractures sustained by the war fighter and how to repair them is
of interest to the military. Research studies will identify new
information about understanding bone biology and repair, and will pave
the way to new strategies to enhancing bone health and facilitating
repair.
Pain Management.--Severe and unmanageable pain is seen in all forms
of NF, particularly in schwannomatosis, and significantly impacts
quality of life. NF research has shown similarities between NF pain and
phantom limb pain. NFRP funding has been critical in supporting this.
Chronic pain, and how to treat it effectively, is one of the most
poorly understood areas of medicine, but has very high relevance to
those in the military recovering from service-related injuries. NF
Research in this area could help identify new ways to target pain
effectively with the right drugs or therapies.
Vascular Disease and Wound Healing.--NF1 elevates the risk of
vascular disease including aneurysm, stroke and vessel occlusive
disease. This can cause premature death, particularly in younger
patients. In addition NF1 seems to make small blood vessels around
wounds less able to heal. This research will help develop markers for
early detection of vascular changes that can predict those at risk of
potential forthcoming cardiovascular events as well as developing
treatments for this and to increase wound healing capacity which is of
great relevance to the warfighter.
Psychosocial Disabilities.--In the last couple of years, NFRP
research has revealed common threads between NF1 learning disabilities,
autism and other related disabilities. Research being done within the
NF Clinical Trials Consortium, NFRP created clinical centers, has led
to important findings and expanded research in this area. This research
contributes to our broadening understanding of how brain signaling can
impact on behavior and psychosocial difficulties. Members of the
military returning from service can suffer from psychological trauma
and it is not easy to understand how this can be effectively treated.
As we learn more from the NF population about psychosocial function, we
will be able to shed light on this area for the benefit of the
military.
Muscle Weakness.--There is growing evidence that children with NF1
have inherent low muscle tone and muscle weakness which impacts on
quality of life. This emerging area of NF research has potentially
broad relevance. This research opens up a new area of NF research and
has potential broader application for recovery from military injuries
in particular restoring optimal muscle function.
the army's contribution to nf research
While other Federal agencies support medical research, the
Department of Defense (DoD) fills a special role by providing peer-
reviewed funding for innovative and rewarding medical research through
the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). CDMRP
research grants are awarded to researchers in every State in the
country through a competitive two-tier review process. These well-
executed and efficient programs, including the NFRP, demonstrate the
government's responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Recognizing NF's importance to both the military and to the general
population, Congress has given the Army's NF Research Program strong
bipartisan support. From fiscal year 1996 through fiscal year 2016
funding for the NFRP has amounted to $302.85 million, in addition to
the original $8 million appropriated in fiscal year 1992. In addition,
between fiscal year 1996 and fiscal year 2015, 353 awards have been
granted to researchers across the country.
The Army program funds innovative, groundbreaking research which
would not otherwise have been pursued, and has produced major advances
in NF research, including conducting clinical trials in a nation-wide
clinical trials infrastructure created by NFRP funding, development of
advanced animal models, and preclinical therapeutic experimentation.
Because of the enormous advances that have been made as a result of the
Army's NF Research Program, research in NF has truly become one of the
great success stories in the current revolution in molecular genetics.
In addition, the program has brought new researchers into the field of
NF. However, despite this progress, Army officials administering the
program have indicated that they could easily fund more applications if
funding were available because of the high quality of the research
applications received.
In order to ensure maximum efficiency, the Army collaborates
closely with other Federal agencies that are involved in NF research,
such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senior program staff
from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), for example, sit on the Army's NF Research Program Integration
Panel which sets the long-term vision and funding strategies for the
program. This assures the highest scientific standard for research
funding, efficiency and coordination while avoiding duplication or
overlapping of research efforts.
Thanks in large measure to this Subcommittee's support; scientists
have made enormous progress since the discovery of the NF1 gene. Major
advances in just the past few years have ushered in an exciting era of
clinical and translational research in NF with broad implications for
the general population. These recent advances have included:
--Phase II and Phase III clinical trials involving new drug therapies
for both cancer, hearing tumors, vision tumors, bone graft and
cognitive disorders;
--Establishment of the Neurofibromatosis Clinical Trial Consortium
which includes an operation center and 19 clinical sites.
Allows for partnerships with well-established NF Centers,
pooling expertise and resources, quicker turn arounds of
scientific reviews and regulatory approvals, leveraged work
with pharmaceutical companies all towards the common goal of
new treatments and a cure for Neurofibromatosis;
--Successful elimination of tumors in NF1 and NF2 mice with the same
drug;
--Development of advanced mouse models showing human symptoms;
--Rescue of learning deficits in mice with an already existing well
known drug;
--Determination of the biochemical, molecular function of the NF
genes and gene products;
--Connection of NF to numerous diseases because of NF's impact on
many body functions.
fiscal year 2018 request
The Army's highly successful NF Research Program has shown tangible
results and direct military application with broad implications for the
general population. The program has now advanced to the translational
and clinical research stages, which are the most promising, yet the
most expensive direction that NF research has taken. Therefore,
continued funding is needed to continue to build on the successes of
this program, and to fund this promising research thereby continuing
the enormous return on the taxpayers' investment.
We respectfully request that you include $15 million in the fiscal
year 2018 Department of Defense Appropriations bill for the Peer-
reviewed Neurofibromatosis Research Program. With this subcommittee's
continued support, we will prevail. Thank you for your support.
______
Prepared Statement of U.S. Biologic, Inc.
Addressing: Fiscal year 2018 appropriation for the Defense Health
Agency Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) for
Tick Borne Disease Research.
Tick-borne diseases affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of
Americans each year. Lyme disease stands as the most common vector-
borne disease and the second most commonly reported bacterial
infectious disease in the United States, with 380,690 new cases in 2015
at an annual economic cost of more than $4.1 billion. Lyme disease can
cause lifelong, debilitating effects, and in some cases, death from
direct and indirect health impacts.
The impact on the military can be especially devastating,
understanding that many of the U.S.'s largest military installations
(e.g., Fort Drum, New York) are located in Lyme-endemic areas. In one
recent study conducted by the USAPHC (2014), between 19.7 percent-37.5
percent of ticks collected from service members across three States
were infected by Lyme disease.
At the same time, while Lyme disease carries an enormous public-
health risk and burden, it receives only a fraction of research funding
as compared to other diseases.
The fiscal year 2017 appropriations that created the Tick-Borne
Disease Research Program was an important achievement in that it
provided at least some funding to study new preventative methods for
Lyme disease.
Additional and expanded funds are necessary for the continued
research and development of novel technologies that may fundamentally
impact the way we protect our service members, their families, and the
U.S. population at large.
Please give this appropriations request every due consideration.
Sincerely.
[This statement was submitted by Chris Przybyszewski, Executive
Vice President, U.S. Biologic, Inc.]