As we move into the next century, our nation's security will depend upon our continued commitment to leadership and engagement in global affairs. The challenges that we face will be increasingly complex and our ability to meet those challenges will be greatly influenced by the wisdom of our investments in science and technology.
This National Security Science and Technology Strategy presents a comprehensive approach to bringing science and technology to the service of our nation's security and global stability. This strategy supports the goals of my Administration's National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement . It highlights the importance of U.S. investments in science and technology to preventing conflict and maintaining the strength and capabilities of our Armed Forces.
Our nation's security derives from a combination of diplomatic leadership, economic strength and military might. Advances in science and technology underlie this strength, giving rise to the discoveries that lead to new industries and to the improvements that make our industries more efficient and environmentally sound. By engaging economies abroad, cooperation in science and technology integrates states into a larger economic and political order that acts against division and conflict.
Improving global stability also demands that we put scientific insights and technology to work to promote sustainable development. No country is isolated from the consequences of newly emerging diseases, environmental degradation, or other global threats--even if the roots of these problems lie in distant parts of the world. The tragedy of AIDS has made this clear. Cooperation in science and technology to prevent and mitigate threats to society moves us forward, toward a world of free citizens, instead of victims and combatants.
Investments in science and technology are critical to military preparedness, enabling us to stay at the cutting edge of new developments so that our Armed Forces remain the best trained, best equipped, and best prepared in the world. Advancing the technologies of monitoring, verification, and dismantlement allow us to pursue a vigorous program to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including a Comprehensive Test Ban, the extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and strengthened Biological Weapons and Chemical Weapons Conventions, as well as control of fissile materials. We have made great progress in dismantling the arsenals of mass destruction that are a legacy of the Cold War. This report describes collaborative U.S.-Russia efforts to protect, control, and account for nuclear weapons materials, the most pressing nonproliferation challenge of the post-Soviet era. Yet much remains to be done. Mobility has increased the availability of the technology and essential ingredients of weapons of mass destruction.
Assuring the security and well-being of this nation is my fundamental Constitutional responsibility. My Administration is committed to a comprehensive strategy for harnessing science and technology to accomplish these aims. Many of these investments are severely threatened by proposed Congressional budget cuts; such a retreat must be resisted. Our strategy of investment and international cooperation in science and technology will better assure our success today and in the future.
