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Society's Call to Action 



It is in the foregoing context that, with multi-agency support, the ocean science and 

 technology community, (represented by certain Federal agencies, academia, and 

 industry), were brought together to establish a new and reinvigorated partnership 

 concept. The idea was to lay the groundwork for carrying out the many challenges 

 outlined within the framework of the NRC report where integration of more than one of 

 these participating communities can add value to all cormected partners and increase 

 mission effectiveness and efficiency. 



First, a Coordinating Group convened on July 27, 1994, in Washington, DC to provide 

 some broad guidelines for a new partnership developmental effort. This Group 

 cor\sisted of eight federal agencies, two representatives of the academic iristitutions, and 

 one marine industry advisor (See Appendix I for details). The Group concluded that 

 before moving forward to establish the necessary scientific Steering Committee and 

 workshops, the issues needed to be placed within a context enveloping traditional 

 concerns of national security as well as the many rapidly emerging important social and 

 environmental concerns such as environmental quality and economic competitiveness. 

 These concerns are rapidly being accepted as harboring as much of a threat to our 

 national interests in the foreseeable future as the threats of war. 



The Coordinating Group believed that the subsequent outcome from both the Steering 

 Committee and their follow-on working groups should show relevance to both 

 changing national defense and sustainable national growth strategies in this post cold- 

 war period. 



To meet these objectives, the Coordinating Group set guidelines for Steering Committee 

 make up and eventual report outcomes from the working groups. 



The guidelines set for the Steering Committee were as follows: 



A. To lay the baseline for working groups in the context of the general themes 

 contained in the NRC report. 



B. To develop an implementation plan including: (1) a prioritized list of themes and 

 specific topics for consideration by the working groups deemed to be central to 

 the development of an integrated ocean science and technology strategy; (2) an 

 identification of team leaders and active participants for chairing and 

 documenting activities of the workmg groups; and (3) a general format to be 

 followed for reports of each working group. 



C. To produce a comprehensive document, serving as the cormective fabric for aU of 

 the working group reports, which would be used by a range of audiences 

 associated with development and implementation of policy in ocean science and 

 technology. 



