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The major thnist of my testimony here today concerns primary 

 program recommendations and comments on organization. Before I 

 present our committee's views, as background I slionld like to review 

 the function of the engineering profession in both the nongovern- 

 mental and the governmental sectors. 



Engineering in its modern and broadest sense is the application of 

 knowledge for the use and benefit of mankind. In this context, engi- 

 neers are concerned not only with the broad technological applications 

 of science, but with their economical, social, and political interaction 

 with man, w^ho thus becomes a critical part of our total systems 

 thinking. 



Ocean engineering is that portion of engineering which is concerned 

 with the marine environment, and as in all engineering, spans all modes 

 of professional practice from planning, development, design, con- 

 struction, manufacturing, operations, and management to research and 

 teaching. 



Within the evolving national marine policy, scientific oceanographic 

 research has received an increasing and intense interest and support 

 from the Government, resulting in the availability of a large base of 

 scientific oceanographic information. With the recent increase in eco- 

 nomic opportunities and activities in marine resource development 

 for the nongovernmental sector, and with the increased national 

 security requirements for the governmental sector, governmental em- 

 phasis is focusing on utilization of the ocean as a national concern. 

 The Marine Commission report itself is responsive to and supports 

 this trend. 



While it is well known that the engineering support of scientific 

 research projects is a necessity, the major activity of the engineering 

 profession with respect to the ocean is in the effective use of our marine 

 resources. 



As the national interest in the marine environment focuses on re- 

 source utilization it is a basic requirement for effective engineering 

 that the scientific information base continue to grow. Therefore the 

 oceanographic research of the scientific profession should not be 

 neglected but be adequately supported as a national investment. 



Engineering effort in resource utilization must be effective within 

 the economic, technical, social, and time restraints imposed. Within 

 these restraints there is always insufficient basic information available 

 to the engineers. With these realistic restraints imposed on both the 

 governmental and nongovernmental sectors it is as wasteful of our 

 resources to attempt to solve a problem prematurely as it is to identify 

 a need too late for satisfactory response. Demonstration projects, some 

 examples of which are mentioned in the Commission report as na- 

 tional projects, are appropriate devices, in my opinion, for long-range 

 engineering development — a requirement for timely and optimimi 

 problem solution. 



As the national interest in marine affairs increases in the govern- 

 mental-industrial-institutional complex, the procedure hj which the 

 Government and nongovernment sectors commmiicate to obtain engi- 

 neering assistance for their marine programs will be of increasing 

 importance. 



