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Washington, D.C. - Reps. Adam Smith (WA-09)
and Brian Baird (WA-03) today co-chaired a joint subcommittee hearing
between the House Science Committee and House Armed Services Committee
to examine the role social and behavioral sciences can play in meeting
our national security needs. Rep. Smith, Chairman of the Subcommittee
on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities, and Rep. Baird,
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, led the
effort to explore opportunities for collaboration between the
Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
in utilizing this scientific research to help soldiers serving in new
combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The fight to stop
the spread of terrorism is in large part a struggle to understand and
work with local populations. Our special operations forces and other
military and civilian personnel work in dozens of countries and across
many different cultures, and understanding the particulars of each is
of enormous importance if we are to deny al-Qaida and other groups safe
haven. These interactions are a big component of American ‘soft power,'
and the more skilled and informed we become in this context, the better
we will be able to root out insurgencies and terrorists. Today's
hearing was an opportunity for our subcommittees to learn more about
the role social and behavioral sciences can play in our national
security," Smith said.
"Our country has invested billions of
dollars in mapping the physical terrain of combat zones based on the
recognition that it would be foolhardy to send our soldiers into
unknown terrain because it would endanger our soldiers and their
mission," said Chairman Baird. "What I find so encouraging and
interesting about today's hearing is the recognition that human
terrain, which we may not be able to map by satellite or GPS, is just
as important to the success of our mission, the survival of our
soldiers, and the people were trying to protect."
During the
joint hearing, members explored how NSF research in the social and
behavioral sciences can help the nation achieve its national security
goals, including empowering soldiers or combat units to adapt and
maneuver in foreign cultures and stressful situations. The
Subcommittees also examined what new tools, technologies and training
programs researchers can use to help soldiers adapt to the current
irregular warfare environment in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Subcommittee
Members heard testimony from the following witnesses: Dr. André van
Tilborg, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology,
Department of Defense; Colonel Martin Schweitzer, Commander 4th Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; Dr. Mark Weiss, Division Director
for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences & Directorate for Social,
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation; Dr.
David Segal, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for
Research on Military Organization, University of Maryland.
Today's
military witness, Col. Schweitzer, highlighted an example of the
practical application of this research in an operational setting. Col.
Schweitzer recently returned from Afghanistan, where he worked with a
Human Terrain Team (HTT), which places civilian and uniformed
scientists on the ground in order to provide soldiers with better
knowledge of the culture in which they are operate.
For more information on this hearing or to access witness testimony, visit the Committee's website.
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