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　　中新網7月8日電 據中國國防科技信息網報道，美國國防部將在本周發佈文件《國際科學與技術接觸戰略》（下稱《戰略》）。該文件旨在確保美國國防科技研究者們瞭解世界範圍內的技術發展，並能夠利用美國親密盟友們的投資來填補自身的能力鴻溝並降低成本。
　　對於第一點，該戰略將瞄準利用大數據技術的新進展，創建更便於研究的數據庫，供美國國防部的各個“興趣團體”（COI）使用，包括17個專業組，而各專業組的專家來自國防部各辦公室和各軍種。對於第二點，儘管該文件並未直接點明，但美國國防部研究與發展代理主任夏弗表示，將重點與澳大利亞、加拿大、新西蘭和英國開展聯合工作。
　　對於第一點，夏弗表示，儘管該文件將探索提升對技術發展態勢的掌握，但其重點並不是搜集情報，而是確保使適當的團體知悉技術發展態勢。他說，美國對其伙伴和盟友們的實驗室有著全面洞悉，反之亦然，國防部已有包含數百人的工作體系在從事這項工作，因此他真正感興趣的是有效利用這個體系的某些工具。為此，需要吸收有關正在發展的技術的海量數據，並將數據分發給各個COI。
　　這些COI是國防部在2014年1月建立的，目的是理順發展工作，避免重覆勞動；國防部下屬的國防技術信息中心（DTIC）則已被賦予確保這個新體系運轉的職責。夏弗明確表示：“我不需要每個COI都去觀察世界範圍內的所有進展。我們能夠使用一種自動化的工具來抓取所有的此類信息，並將相關信息傳遞給適當的COI”。他指出，自動化是國防部開展上述新工作的一個主要原因，以前要這麼做可能面臨不可逾越的技術障礙，就在僅僅三年前國防部對此還是無法去設想的，但由於商用大數據領域取得快速進步，現在能夠剋服信息自動化抓取等障礙。他透露，用來完成以上工作的新型信息技術系統將在2014年秋季建立並運行，數據庫將在2014年9月9日投入使用，研究工具將在10月1日之前就需。這些系統、數據庫和工具目前都在接受測試。
　　對於第二點，夏弗正在探尋如何判定工作是否成功，這對於提升技術伙伴關係而言是一項困難的任務。在這方面還有許多工作要做，《戰略》旨在確保相關決策有合適的數據支撐，從而為提升國際工作奠定基礎，但它不能說明國防科技伙伴關係究竟會因此發生何種改變。在這方面，已在實施之中的更大轉變仍是COI概念，它使美國的國防科技伙伴國不需要與來自美軍的每個軍種和美國國防部國防高級研究計劃局（DARPA）每個技術領域的官員們打交道，而只需與來自每個COI的數名人員溝通。
　　夏弗指出，通過COI機制，美國仍能從最緊密地盟友引入最好的技術，同時所需要的接觸可以大大減少；此外，聯合發展工作也確保最終產品一開始就可在互操作性方面有良好表現。他同時指出，國防部內部的互操作性問題可能成為一個主要的阻礙。（張洋）
　　原文：
　　http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140707/DEFREG02/307070008/International-Partners-Key-DoD-s-New-R-D-Strategy、、
　　International Partners Key To DoD’s New R&D Strategy
　　Jul. 7， 2014 - 08:12PM | By ZACHARY FRYER-BIGGS | Comments
　　WASHINGTON — The US Defense Department is set to roll out a new strategy this week that is designed to make sure researchers know about ongoing technological developments around the world， and can take advantage of spending by close allies to fill gaps in capabilities and cut costs.
　　The document， called the “International S&T Engagement Strategy，” aims to use advances in big data technology to create easily searchable databases for use by the Pentagon’s “communities of interest，” 17 groups of experts from across the services and Pentagon offices focused on specific areas of technology.
　　Once that data is proliferated， the Pentagon intends to take a look at where it can do a better job of using partner investment to cut the cost of developing some technologies， and where it can take advantage of investments by allies for technologies that might fill US gaps.
　　Although the document doesn’t mention it， the strategy is focused on joint work with Australia， Canada， New Zealand and the UK， according to acting Pentagon research and development (R&D) chief Al Shaffer.
　　Shaffer said that while the document explores improving awareness of technological develop-ments， it’s less about gathering the intelligence and more about making sure the right parties are aware of it.
　　“We have complete insight into our partner and allies’ laboratories， and they have pretty good insight into ours， so what I’m really interested in is using some of the tools of our international structure，” Shaffer said. “If you take a look at our footprint already， we already have a network of literally hundreds of people. So this is really a structure of how do we put in place a capability back here in the United States and layer it into our capability road maps.”
　　To do that requires absorbing volumes of data on developing technologies and distributing that to the communities of interest. Those communities were set up in January as part of an effort to streamline development and avoid redundancy， and the Defense Technical Information Center is being tasked with making the new system work.
　　“I don’t need every community of interest to look at everything that comes in worldwide，” Shaffer said. “We can have an automation machine take all that information and route the relevant information to the right [communities].”
　　Shaffer cited that automation as being one of the prime reasons the new effort is being undertaken， as the technical challenges might have been insurmountable previously but can be overcome because of rapid improvements in the commercial big data sphere.
　　“Three years ago we could not have even begun to think about doing what we’re trying to do now，” he said.
　　The new IT system should be up and running in the fall， with the database operational Sept. 9 and the search tools ready near Oct. 1. Both are being tested.
　　But once the systems are in place it will be up to officials to take advantage of the information they’re getting.
　　“This isn’t three guys and a coffee pot， this is a significant staff，” said James Hasik， a fellow at the Atlantic Council. “The good news is that two senior Pentagon people are saying that we need to pay attention， this is important.”
　　But Hasik pointed to the broad strokes with which the strategy is painted as being a potential flaw.
　　“There’s a remarkable lack of prioritization，” he said.
　　Shaffer acknowledged that much of the success of the effort will ride on how well the officials work with each other.
　　“This is not my plan， this is our plan，” he said. “If we have the right senior executives in the right areas， we will not have a stovepipe. If we have the wrong senior executives we will devolve into stove piping and all this will just be more paper. Washington’s great at producing paper that never has any impact.”
　　That need to coordinate was of concern to one industry source familiar with the plan.
　　“There’s some kumbaya here， but not much substance，” the source said. “The devil is in the details， and there are no details.”
　　One of the sources of skepticism that the Pentagon is facing is a lukewarm response to its last major IT effort， the Defense Innovation Marketplace. That was designed to allow contractors to get a handle on where the Pentagon is looking for new technologies.
　　“The DoD marketplace effort has met with limited success，” the industry source said. “What makes you think extrapolating it to an international level will work?”
　　Shaffer said his office has learned from the experience， and is focusing on making sure they’re improving the user interface as well as taking an iterative approach to development.
　　“The other thing that I think we learned was not to go for everything in the first increment，” he said.
　　Shaffer is also sorting out how the agency will measure success， a difficult task given the stated goal of improving technology partnerships. That’s another area where much work is left to be done， as the strategy is designed to lay the groundwork for improved international efforts by making sure there’s data in place to make decisions， but can’t outline what those changes to partnering might be.
　　On that front， the bigger shift already underway has been the communities of interest concept， as US partner countries aren’t confronted with officials from each of the services and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in every technology area， but rather a single figure from each community of interest.
　　“We were overwhelming our closest friends and allies，” Shaffer said. “By bringing it in through the communities of interest we’re still bringing in the best technology but we’re not hitting them up five times.”
　　Joint development also ensures that the eventual products will work effectively from an interoperability standpoint.
　　The one major stumbling block that could surface is interoperability within the Pentagon — getting all of the different groups to agree on where to push technologies and who should do it.
　　“There are many days that I wish I could go back to being a laboratory commander where I was king and I could just go back to snapping my fingers and stuff happens，” Shaffer said. “But at [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] OSD we cannot work it alone. We have to work and bring our partners in the services and agencies with us.” ■
　　Email: zbiggs@defensenews.com.　　（原標題：美軍戰略文件研究利用盟友投資低成本應用新技術）