Intelligence Research: No Widgets Please
Because of the huge increase in demands over the last seven years, the intelligence community can't get by without contractors for technology, people and presumably a lot of other stuff that no one can talk about. Depending on whom you believe, the numbers in dollars spent and consultants hired have doubled, or tripled, since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The heightened importance of contractors to the IC -- just as in the rest of the government -- came to mind not long ago when I saw this solicitation from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, a fairly new group in Arlington that serves as an anchor for both intelligence contractors and government spooks.
The group is calling for Q Branch-style research, not off-the-rack widgets: "Radiological, Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Agent-Detection at a Distance;" "Supercomputers, Photonic Logic, Free Space Computing;" "Polymorphic Computer Code"
The list goes on. "Creative ways to capture ambient energy from non-traditional sources," anyone?
Government Inc. wonders whether folks in the know will send charming cards and letters describing all the interesting stuff that intelligence contractors do that we, alas, have never heard about.
By Robert O'Harrow |
February 14, 2008; 5:55 PM ET
intelligence
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Posted by: Ron O'Neal | February 16, 2008 03:30 PM
Biological agent detection at a distance:
"FAST-CARS offers real-time anthrax detection"
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/display_article/290612/12/none/none/TECHN/FAST-CARS-offers-real-time-anthrax-detection
Posted by: Ron O'Neal | February 16, 2008 03:33 PM
Looking at the INSA solicitation, these topics seem to be pretty common to other NSF and DARPA solicitations for next-generation electronics. [The really scary ones are in the "Social and Human Sciences".]
I guess the ideas are out there in academic-funded research, but the question is can private companies make em work? Or better yet, can private companies convince the IC they can make em work, and in the process get loads of cash/contracts? What fraction of cutting-edge tech contracts like these actually produce working deliverables?
Posted by: Ron O'Neal | February 16, 2008 03:41 PM
Puh-leze, the reason we are hostage to contractors is because the corrupt Tom DeLay/Jack Abramoff/Tom Davis Republican machine claimed to cut federal budgets as they "FEMA-ized" agencies and outsourced core vital Federal functions to campaign contributors of widely varying competence. Some contractors knew the job and were victims of pay-to-play to stay in business. Other contractors saw the opportunity to profit while bungling and took it. Hurricaine Katrina just cost the most lives in a short time but contractors from the War in Iraq to the ones who got multi-million dollar "No Child Left Behind" testing contracts steal productivity, opportunity, and lives regularly.
Posted by: andreac | February 16, 2008 03:52 PM
We really need an early detection device to stop the accumulation of too much power and influence of the Delay's, Abrahamoff's Clinton's, and the posses there of.
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Capturing ambient energy - not terribly secret
"Nano-bristle T-shirt to harness your power moves"
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13302
"Parasitic Power Shoes Project"
http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/power.html