The Roles Of Science In National Security Policymaking: A Case Study Of EMP

that the British and Americans are two great peoples divided by a common language.The same might be said of policymakers on the one hand and scientists and technologists on the other.Although they communicate with each other in a common language, these two communities often accomplish very little in understanding each other's perspective and building a common understanding of context and implications.As a one-time policymaker, I can report that I was often frustrated with the lack of interest technologists took in the problems I was trying to solve as they tried to explain to me their solutions to technical problems I did not have.I also came to appreciate their frustration from the other side of the divide and to better understand my own responsibility to help create the needed bridge.This small volume addresses squarely the responsibility of scientists and technologists at this laboratory and elsewhere to create the needed bridge to the policymaker.More than that, it offers practical advice on how to be effective in the policy environment.The monograph grows out of the experience of lab technical staff with programmatic activities at the Center for Global Security Research, where such bridge-building is an ever-present project.It also grows out of their own professional experience serving as advisors, whether formally or informally, to decisionmakers in Washington DC.The authors sift through these experiences for lessons of enduring value to the bridge builders.In making their case, they draw effectively on a case study-the provision of technical advice to policymakers on the threat from electromagnetic pulse weapons.The result should be of value to any member of the laboratory's technical community seeking a better understanding of how to be effective in ensuring that policy judgments are technically sound.