14 OCEANOGRAPHY 



(The statement follows:) 



Statement of Hon. James H. Wakelin, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Navy 

 FOR Research and Development and Chairman of the Interagency Com- 

 mittee ON oceanography of the Federal Council for Science and Technol- 

 ogy 



Mr. Chairman, gentlemen, the longstanding interest of this committee in 

 oceanography has been most gratifying to me and to the members of other Fed- 

 eral agencies. I appreciate the opportunity of appearing before you today to 

 discuss our long-range national plans and to comment on the bills on oceanog- 

 raphy pending before this committee. 



The comments I have to make to you will stem from two points of view. 

 First, as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, I am 

 concerned with the Navy's traditional interests in the oceans ; oceanography 

 affects every aspect of our operations from the Polaris fleet ballistic missile 

 system to undersea warfare to ami^hibious and mine operations. Second, as 

 Chairman of the Interagency Committee on Oceanography of the Federal Coun- 

 cil for Science and Technology, I am concerned with increasing this Nation's 

 knowledge of the oceans — their content, their boundaries — by substantially ac- 

 celerating our efforts in an orderly program during the next 10 years. 



Recognizing the seriousness of inadequate oceanographic information from the 

 scientific, technical, and military points of view, the Federal Council for Science 

 and Technology established a subcommittee last summer to prepare a coordi- 

 nated national oceanographic program. This committee, now called the Inter- 

 agency Committee on Oceanography, has recently been made a permanent instru- 

 ment of the Federal Council with representation from the Departments of 

 Defense, Commerce, Interior, Health. Education, and Welfare, the National 

 Science Foundation, and the Atomic Energy Commission. The Interagency 

 Committee carefully reviewed the report of the National Academy of Sciences- 

 National Research Council's Committee on Oceanography. In this report the 

 Academy recommended a minimal program for long-term growth at an achievable 

 rate in training of scientific manpower, construction of adequate ships and lab- 

 oratories, as well as a technical program for research and ocean surveys. The 

 Interagency Commerce concurred generally with the National Academy and 

 concluded that the report accurately stated the Nation's scientific needs in 

 oceanography. The critical pai'ameters are scientific manpower, funds, and 

 time. Of course, I refer to a special kind of time — lead time for the construction 

 of ships and shore laboratories and for the training of the additional scientists. 



The Interagency Committee recommended to the Federal Council that the 

 United States undertake a substantial and orderly expansion of activity in 

 oceanography. The Committee stated that vigorous action must be taken to 

 stimulate the growth of educational programs, that a permanent interagency 

 committee should be established to review and coordinate the national effort 

 and that international cooperation is essential to the research and survey pro- 

 gram. These recommendations were accepted and endorsed by the Federal 

 Council. 



The Interagency Committee then developed by joint planning the btidget for a 

 10-year national program to implement these general recommendations. The 

 total funding requested in the President's budget for the oceanographic program 

 in fiscal year 19(J1 totals about $56 million, an increase of almost 50 percent over 

 the fiscal year 19()0 level of $37 million. For the previous year, fiscal year 1959, 

 funds for this work amounted to $24 million. I feel that this program provides 

 for growth at a reasonable rate and that it satisfies the most critical initial needs 

 of the departments and agencies in the field of oceanography. 



What will a 10-year program require in terms of funds, facilities, and man- 

 power? The National Academy of Sciences' report indicated that the program 

 would cost $651 million in 1958 dollars over and above the rate at which the 

 program was then being supported. This estimate is probably low when trans- 

 lated into 1961 dollars because the cost of doing business has increased. Also, 

 we believe that the unit cost of construction of ships has been underestimated. 

 Taking these factors into considerattion, the Interagency Committee has esti- 

 mated that the total cost will approximate $1 billion during the 10-year program 

 if our goal to double our present capability is to be realized. This is a modest 

 goal when the level of our present knowledge is considered in relation to our 

 needs. And I would like to say that doubling the present activity in oceanog- 

 raphy will require more than doubling the rate of expenditures because of the 

 capital investments required. 



