613 



This statement suggests an affirmative policy toward international 

 cooperation, but on a selective basis and with close controls on 

 project scope and activities and on technology aspects to be shared. 

 The phrase "to share specific tasks" was understood to mean that the 

 United States would attempt to retain all essential technologies 

 within the U.S. program. The implications for international 

 cooperation are that hard bargaining as to technical and fiscal 

 contributions and as to the sharing of results will be involved in 

 arranging any joint projects. 



The current goal of the U.S. program is stated as follows in the 

 CPMP: 



...to develop the scientific and technological information required 

 to design and construct magnetic fusion power systems. 



This overall objective of the program is more limited than the visions 

 of some years ago and reflects current budget constraints. The CPMP 

 does not contemplate a prototype power plant in the U.S. program and 

 may leave a substantial gap between the government program and any 

 serious attempt at coirimercial use of the technology. In particular, 

 the CPMP leaves to potential commercial users the development of an 

 industrial base for the fabrication and construction of fusion power 

 plants. Since at least one and perhaps all of the major foreign 

 magnetic fusion programs seem directed toward an eventual goal of 

 controlling and marketing fusion plant technology, there may be 

 significant problems of compatability in basic goals in agreeing on 

 international joint ventures. 



The CPMP does call for a large machine, the Engineering Test 

 Reactor (ETP») , to be built in the late 1980s, but recent budgetary 

 constraints caused planning at the technical level to be directed 

 towards a less ambitious next step, TFCX. TFCX embodies the physics 

 of ETR but little of the technological and engineering testing 

 features. During the writing of this report this goal has been set 

 aside, and a revised plan is not yet available. The Japanese, EC, and 

 Soviet program plans in magnetic fusion continue to contemplate an 

 engineering test reactors* of roughly similar objectives. Decisions 

 would be taken in the late 1980s or early 1990s and, if favorable, the 

 machines could be ready by the late 1990s. These machines in the 

 foreign programs would then be followed by demonstration reactors. 



U.S. government program administrators recognize the potential 

 benefits of international cooperation on a wide scale and, faced with 

 the realties of current budget levels, look to it as an essential part 

 of a successful fusion program. Situated precariously between would- 

 be budget cutters at some levels in the administration and in the 

 Congress and would-be budget raisers in the technical community, the 

 government program administrators' task is to develop a consensus on a 

 reasonable program that balances the dual needs to maintain a strong 

 base program and to move ahead with the next major machine, includes 



♦Designated as Fusion Engineering Reactor (PER) in Japan, Next 

 European Torus (NET) in the EC, and OTR in the USSR. 



