Sarewitz warns of military budget cut byproduct: lost innovation

As the Pentagon looks at the possibility of cutting its budget by 10 percent over the next 10 years, ASU's Daniel Sarewitz warns of the impact this could have on the economy's long-term growth.

Binyamin Appelbaum, a New York Times writer, looks at the Pentagon's "unmatched record in developing technologies with broad public benefits – like the Internet, jet engines and satellite navigation" and how it has bolstered economic growth by "encouraging private companies to reap the rewards."

"'If catalyzing innovation is going to be an important part of our economic strategy, then we better be careful how we handle' the military budget," Sarewitz was quoted as saying. Sarewitz is the director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at ASU.

The article continued: "Professor Sarewitz, who studies the government’s role in promoting innovation, said that the Defense Department had been more successful than other federal agencies because it is the main user of the innovations that it finances. The Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, which also finance large volumes of research, are not major consumers of energy or healthcare. The Pentagon, which spends billions each year on weapons, equipment and technology, has an unusually direct stake in the outcome of its research and development projects. 'The central thing that distinguishes them from other agencies is that they are the customer,' Sarewitz said. 'You can’t pull the wool over their eyes.'"

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