Army Science Board
Encyclopedia
The Army Science Board is a Federal Advisory Committee organized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Federal Advisory Committee Act is a United States federal law , which governs the behavior of federal advisory committees. There are now approximately 1,000 such committees...
. It is the Department of the Army senior scientific advisory body that was chartered in 1977 to replace the Army Scientific Advisory Panel. The ASB advises and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology
United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
The Office of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology is known as OASA...
(ASA(ALT)
United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
The Office of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology is known as OASA...
), the army staff, and major Army commanders on scientific and technological matters of concern to the Army. The Secretary of the Army delegates oversight authority to the ASA(ALT)
United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
The Office of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology is known as OASA...
, who functions as the ASB Director. Terms are generally three years with one reappointment.
History
The Army Science Board (ASB) has served as the Army’s senior scientific advisory board. When it was chartered as a Federal Advisory Committee under the Federal Advisory Committee ActFederal Advisory Committee Act
The Federal Advisory Committee Act is a United States federal law , which governs the behavior of federal advisory committees. There are now approximately 1,000 such committees...
in 1977, the ASB replaced the Army Scientific Advisory Panel (ASAP). Both the ASAP and the ASB grew out of the need for Army-specific guidance on scientific research and development (R&D) and the Army’s desire to maintain its strong technical advantage over other nations.
From the founding of the Army through the early 1900s, the Army did not have an effective R&D program — production and procurement were emphasized and the R&D during this era was limited to product improvement. Prior to World War II, the Army’s R&D was controlled through the G-4 as a function of the supply arms and services. In October 1943, Secretary of War Henry Stimson indicated that he wanted scientific help in the war effort, resulting in the R&D branch’s reorganization and its elevation to division level in May 1944. This elevation eliminated obstacles related to recruiting and retaining enough qualified scientific people, and provided them the clout to effectively perform their duties.
Following World War II, despite General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
’s warnings that using scientific and technological resources solely for procurement purposes limited the usefulness of those resources and indications that separating R&D from procurement and production would benefit the military, concerns remained that the senior Army leadership lacked the vision to effectively guide the direction of R&D programs. However, funding and personnel limitations continued to direct R&D toward the necessary areas of procurement and production. A few years later, Dr. Donald Loughridge, the Army’s Senior Scientific Advisor, was concerned that the Army lacked an effective basic research program, resulting in its inability to attract desirable entry-level scientists to its laboratories. By April 1950, Secretary of the Army Gordon Gray was also concerned with the Army’s R&D program and its ability to support warfighters in future wars. He did not believe that the United States could fight a war based solely upon soldiers, especially with the fall of China to communism.
Shortly thereafter, Gray’s replacement, Secretary of the Army Frank Pace
Frank Pace
Frank Pace, Jr. was a the 3rd United States Secretary of the Army and business executive.-Biography:Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania...
, evaluated the existing Army R&D program, which was then engaged in supporting the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In January 1951, the evaluators recommended that a research advisory board be established to assist the Secretary of the Army in R&D matters. Based on this report, General Joseph Collins
J. Lawton Collins
Joseph "Lightning Joe" Lawton Collins was a General in the United States Army. During World War II, he served in both the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations. His elder brother, James Lawton Collins, was also in the army as a Major General...
, Army Chief of Staff, recommended establishing an Army Scientific Advisory Committee as this research advisory board. By March, Pace approved establishing this board in principle and in November he took the first steps to obtain this scientific advice. Without formally establishing a committee, the Secretary appointed 10 outstanding scientists and industrialists as his scientific advisers. These pioneer advisers were:
- Dr. Detlev BronkDetlev BronkDetlev Wulf Bronk was President of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from 1949 to 1953 and President of the National Academy of Sciences from 1950 to 1962. Bronk is credited with reshaping the postwar university environment at Hopkins...
, National Academy of Sciences President, 1950 to 1962, and Johns Hopkins University President, 1949 to 1953. He was credited with formulating the modern theory of biophysics. - Mr. Crawford GreenewaltCrawford GreenewaltCrawford Hallock Greenewalt was an American chemical engineer who served as president of the DuPont Company from 1948 to 1962 and as board chairman from 1962 to 1967.-Life and career:...
, DuPont President, 1948 to 1962. He was instrumental in transforming the theoretical work into a production system capable of manufacturing sufficient plutonium for the Manhattan Project. - Mr. Robert HaslamRobert HaslamRobert Haslam, Baron Haslam , was a British industrialist and chairman of British Steel and British Coal. He was created a Life Peer in 1990.-References:...
, consultant and as Chief of Division 3, Rocket Ordnance Research, National Defense Research Committee. - Mr. Kaufman Keller, Chrysle board of directors member of W.R. Grace & Co.; retired Standard Oil Co. Vice President. Previously, he was a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Dr. Frederick Hovde, Purdue University President, 1946 to 1971. During World War II, he w r Chairman of the Board, 1950 to 1956; Chrysler President, 1935 to 1950.
- Dr. James R. Killian Jr., MIT President, 1948 to 1959; MIT Corp. Chairman, 1959 to 1971. Following his service on this board, he became the presidential science advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1957 to 1959.
- Dr. Charles Lauritsen, Danish-born physicist and professor of electrical and radio engineering at the California Institute of Technology, 1911 to 1962. During World War II, his nuclear physics research was instrumental in the Manhattan Project.
- Dr. Murrough O'BrienMurrough O'BrienMurrough O'Brien may refer to:*Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond *Murrough O'Brien, 4th Baron Inchiquin *Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin *Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of Thomond...
, University of California’s College of Engineering Dean, 1943 to 1959. Previously, he was the university’s Mechanical Engineering Department Chair, 1937 to 1943. - Dr. William ShockleyWilliam ShockleyWilliam Bradford Shockley Jr. was an American physicist and inventor. Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s...
, Bell Telephone Laboratories Research Physicist, 1945 to 1954. During World War II, he was the Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Research Group Research Director. He received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1956 for his role in developing the transistor. - Mr. William WebsterWilliam WebsterWilliam Webster may refer to:* William Webster , British clergyman* William Bennett Webster , doctor, amateur geologist and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada...
, New England Electric System Executive Vice President and Director. Following World War II, he was Deputy to the Secretary of Defense on Atomic Energy and the Chairman of the Military Liaison Committee to the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1950, he was the DOD R&D Board Chairman.
Following the Korean War, the Advisory Committee on Army Organization analyzed the Army’s organization with respect to its ability to support the nation in times of war and peace. This committee praised the scientific advisory group’s creation, indicating it was a significant step in bringing the best scientific ability and experience to the Army. In 1954, the House Committee on Government Operations issued a report stating that the Army’s scientific advisory group was not being used effectively. Army Secretary Robert TenBroek Stevens, Pace’s successor, concurred with these recommendations and established plans to formalize the ASAP with a permanent charter, enlarge its membership and give it more latitude in its efforts.
The ASAP — then with 25 members — held its first meeting November 16-17, 1954. During the meeting, the panel heard briefings on various areas involving the Army’s R&D efforts. By 1958, the panel grew to 70 members and divided itself into eight different subpanels:
- Air Mobility
- Chemical, Biological and Radiological Warfare
- Communications and Electronics
- Firepower
- Environmental Research
- Human Factors
- Surface Mobility
- Research Organization and Planning
Throughout its first 50 years, 590 people — including 50 women — have served as ASB members, resulting in more than 3,700 years of uncompensated, voluntary service to the Army. The ASB’s distinguished members also include two astronauts, three Olympians (one with a silver medal in the long jump), one U.S. Ambassador to France and a member of the first expedition team to ascend Mount Minya Konka in Eastern Tibet, China.
ASB and ASAP personnel have accepted many of the significant challenges the Army has had during the past half century. Even though these are some of the country’s busiest people, these 590 board members have willingly rearranged their complex schedules on short notice to use their own time to solve these significant challenges. They have placed the needs of their country first; and the Army has been fortunate to have, and grateful for, their generous service. With good fortune, the ASB will continue supporting our Nation long into the future.
Past Chairs
| Past Army Scientific Advisory Panel Chairs | |
|---|---|
| Years | Chair |
| 1951 - 1956 | Dr. James R. Killian Jr. |
| 1956 - 1957 | Dr. Frederick L. Hovde Frederick L. Hovde Frederick Lawson Hovde was an American chemical engineer, researcher, educator and president of Purdue University.Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Hovde received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, where he played on the football team... |
| 1958 - 1959 | Mr. Richard S. Morse |
| 1960 | Dr. James W. McRae |
| 1960 - 1961 | Dr. Clifford C. Furnas Clifford C. Furnas Clifford Cook Furnas was an author, Olympic athlete, scientist, expert on guided missiles, university president, and public servant... |
| 1961 - 1964 | Dr. Morrough P. O'Brien |
| 1965 | Dr. Finn J. Larsen |
| 1966 - 1970 | Dr. Harold M. Agnew |
| 1971 - 1976 | Mr. Lawrence H. O'Neill |
| 1976 - 1977 | Dr. Bruce A. Reese |
| Past Army Science Board Chairs | |
| 1978 - 1981 | Dr. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. |
| 1981 - 1983 | Dr. Richard A. Montgomery |
| 1983 - 1986 | Dr. Wilson K. Talley |
| 1986 - 1987 | Dr. Irene C. Peden |
| 1987 - 1989 | Mr. Gilbert F. Decker |
| 1989 - 1990 | Dr. Dennis R. Horn |
| 1990 - 1991 | Dr. Duane A. Adams |
| 1991 - 1992 | Mr. James Jacobs (army science board chair) |
| 1992 - 1995 | Dr. Walter B. LaBerge Walter B. LaBerge Walter Barber LaBerge was an aerospace engineer and defense industry executive who served as United States Under Secretary of the Army from 1977 to 1980.-Biography:... |
| 1995 - 1996 | Dr. Wilson K. Talley |
| 1996 - 1998 | Dr. Michael Frankel |
| 1998 - 2002 | Mr. Michael J. Bayer |
| 2002 - 2004 | Dr. Joseph V. Braddock |
| 2004 - 2005 | Dr. James A. Tegnelia |
| 2005 - Present | Dr. Frank H. Akers, Jr. |
Past Executive Secretaries
| Past Army Scientific Advisory Executive Secretaries | |
|---|---|
| Years | Executive Secretary |
| 1954-1955 | MAJ Charles H. Curtis |
| 1956-1957 | MAJ J.D. Neumann |
| 1958-1959 | LTC William N. Harris |
| 1960-1962 | LTC Paul D. MacGarvey |
| 1963-1964 | LTC Kenneth R. Bull |
| 1965-1966 | MAJ Donald E. Rosenblum |
| 1966-1967 | LTC Joseph E. Fix III |
| 1968-1969 | LTC Wayne D. Miller |
| 1969-1970 | LTC Edward E. Roderick |
| 1970-1971 | LTC James R. Fuller |
| 1971-1972 | LTC William P. Boyd |
| 1972-1973 | LTC John G. Burbules |
| 1974-1976 | LTC Aubra N. Bone |
| 1976- 1977 | LTC E. F. Imler |
| Past Army Science Board Executive Secretaries | |
| 1979-1981 | COL Roger Mickelson |
| 1982-1986 | Mr. Ronald A. Mlinarchik, P.E. (Executive Director) |
| 1987-1988 | COL Richard E. Entlich |
| 1989-1990 | COL Thomas E. Stalzer |
| 1990-1991 | COL Bruce Braun |
| 1991-1993 | COL Barry Levine |
| 1993-1996 | COL Herbert J. Gallagher |
| 1996-2000 | COL Leonard Gliatta |
| 2000-2001 | COL Damian Bianca |
| 2001-2002 | COL Kevin Dietrick |
| 2002-2004 | COL Jeffrey D. Willey |
| 2004-2005 | LTC Scott S. Haraburda, Ph.D., P.E. |
| 2005-2009 | COL Heather J. Ierardi |
| 2009-2010 | Mr. Dennis R. Schmidt |
| 2010-Present | Ms. Carolyn Nash |
External links
- Army Science Board Website at the Army Acquisition, Logistics, & Technology website.
- Army Science Board Meeting Site for members of the Army Science Board only.
- Army Regulation 15-8 Army Science Board regulation.
- Defense Science Board Website at the Defense Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics website.
- Defense Science BoardDefense Science BoardThe Defense Science Board is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters...
at Wikipedia.