But all is not well between the labs and the Army's top leadership. This spring, during a monthly teleconference that linked the directors of the service's seven laboratories, the conversation turned to a familiar topic: how to persuade top Army officials to back their own research priorities with dollars.
The Army's R&D budget foresees an increasing scarcity of money for basic research. The Army proposes to spend just under $200 million next year on its 6.1 budget category, which funds the most basic research. That figure compares with $250 million in 1986 and $216 mlllion in the current year.
Funds for its 6.2 budget category, called advanced technology development, are also expected to decline slightly, from $635 million this year to $625 mllion in fiscal 1988. Even more distressing to lab officials are the Army's five-year projections, which show a steady decline in basic research funds.
The Navy and Air ...
