Chapter 10 Federal and International Organization 



In reviewing the status of marine science in the 

 United States, the panel sought to determine 

 whether Federal or international organizational 

 arrangements were meeting needs. We sought to 

 identify particular organizational conditions which 

 in themselves represented obstacles to the conduct 

 of the marine science effort. We found that it was 

 impossible to separate clearly organizational issues 

 from funding issues. However, we have attempted 

 to examine separately the structural organization 

 problems from the more general funding problem. 



I. STRUCTURAL ISSUES IN FEDERAL OR- 

 GANIZATIONS 



Most scientists interviewed were by and large 

 satisfied with the present institutional arrange- 

 ments for the support of basic science. The 

 principal structural problems detected involved 

 difficulties within the present structure of acquir- 

 ing support for facilities, large interdisciplinary 

 programs, and engineering development. 



The Office of Naval Research is generally 

 credited with a major role in developing the 

 present level of competence and vigor in the 

 Nation's oceanographic program. It pioneered in 

 the support of a variety of programs, especially in 

 providing many kinds of large facilities, such as 

 ships and laboratories, in the establishment of 

 institutional grants, and in block funding for ships. 



The Navy, through the Office of Naval Re- 

 search and the Naval Ships Systems Command 

 (formerly Bureau of Ships), has been able to fund 

 shore facilities only to a limited extent, although it 

 has been successful in providing floating facilities, 

 such as the research submersible Alvin, the stable 

 floating platform and a series of conventional 

 research vessels such as FLIP, the R. V. Acona, and 

 a series of AGOR's.' The third generation of 

 AGOR's, now under construction, has been de- 

 signed as the result of a close and valuable 

 collaboration between the user research agencies 



and the Navy's own highly competent ship design 

 staff.^ 



Since 1958, the National Science Foundation 

 has performed a vital role in the support of basic 

 research in the marine sciences at research institu- 

 tions across the country. The Foundation does not 

 operate in-house laboratories. However, it has 

 encouraged the use of ships as national facilities by 

 funding the R. V. Eltanin for work in Antarctica 

 and the R. V. Anton Brunn for the International 

 Indian Ocean Expedition. 



The support of individual scientists working on 

 specific projects is what the National Science 

 Foundation does best. However, over the years it 

 has become necessary for the National Science 

 Foundation to pick up the burden of such 

 essential support as block funding for ocean- 

 ographic research ships and facility support for 

 marine laboratories. 



This program of the Foundation has been 

 highly successful within the limited appropriations 

 available. These two Federal agencies have pro- 

 vided the bulk of the large facility support for 

 academic institutions. Facility support for in- 

 house laboratories of the Federal agencies has been 

 much more consistent. Generally, Federal labora- 

 tories have inadequate manpower and funds to use 

 existing facilities to the maximum. 



The new requirements of the marine science 

 laboratories for major facility support could be 

 handled through the Navy and National Science 

 Foundation if adequate funds for these purposes 

 were provided them. While the panel sees no 

 difficulties with such a procedure for the Office of 

 Naval Research, it does have certain concerns with 

 regard to such a procedure for the National 

 Science Foundation; the National Science Founda- 

 tion may become so conmiitted to the long-range 

 support of capital facihties and institutional opera- 

 tions that its flexibility to support new programs 

 and young scientists would be limited. 



If we are to mount the kinds of programs 

 discussed in this report, some better means of 



Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research. 



New Concepts Applied to Research Ship Design, 

 Reed, Sarchin and Leiby, Chesapeake Section, Society of 

 Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, May 16, 1968. 



1-57 



