652 



Therefore, while major collaboration may offer investment savings, 

 as well as less risk and a superior program, such results can be 

 expected only after a suitable lead time has elapsed for putting the 

 mechanisms into place. 



4. International collaboration will require stable international 

 commitments . 



There are a number of nontechnical factors that could inhibit 

 large-scale international collaboration unless overcome. The United 

 States is perceived as being an "unreliable partner" based on previous 

 experiences in space sciences, synthetic fuels, and, to some extent, 

 fusion itself. There are also perceptions of the United States as not 

 having a firm commitment to develop fusion, nor of having a sound 

 development plan. U.S. policy considerations that go beyond fusion 

 may constrain the options for collaboration. The annual funding 

 appropriation process makes a multiyear project appear as a high-risk 

 venture. By contrast, the European Community operates with a 

 five-year budget and program plan revised every third year. 



Futhermore, U.S. fusion policy is perceived to change much more 

 frequently than that of either the European Community or Japan. U.S. 

 directions — enunciated by the Magnetic Fusion Engineering Act of 1980, 

 the more recent Comprehensive Program Management Plan of 1983, and the 

 Energy Research Advisory Board recommendations of 1983-1984, together 

 with current debate, which appears not yet to have coalesced into 

 policy — all of these are observed closely by our potential partners 

 and result in confusion abroad. Past programs outside the 

 responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy have exacerbated this 

 perception of the United States. 



There are, however, successful precedents for stable international 

 commitments: the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the 

 International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, and the Joint 

 European Torus (JET) Joint Undertaking. We believe the Joint European 

 Torus experience, especially, provides an illuminating example. 



Since substantial benefits from international collaboration would 

 materialize only from a relationship that was sustained over the long 

 term, some form of agreement will be required that gives all partners 

 a high degree of confidence that each will carry out its commitment 

 without creating a burden on the others by withdrawal of participation 

 and support. 



5. There is a host of considerations that must be resolved 

 implementation, but these appear workable . 



