Ethics, Scientists, Engineers and the Military - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 344

Military R&D raises issues of open publication. While the different Defence
Technology Centres vary in their degree of openness, they all screen publications
for 'military sensitivity' and they are required to satisfy the Ministry of Defence's
research output goals. However, it is not clear how these requirements affect the
non-military research of participating departments or the nature and types of
research publication (Langley et al. 2008 ). Other concerns expressed by researchers
without military funding included the prioritisation of high-technology approaches
to global issues despite the lack of evidence to justify this; research becoming more
'conformist' and less open, accountable and able to address diffi cult ethical issues
as a result of increasing commercial and military involvement; and the inability to
express these concerns openly (Langley et al. 2008 ). Military and commercial
pressures, for instance, through the abuse of national security and commercial
confi dentiality arguments, have the effect of suppressing debate and dissent about
ethical issues in science, engineering and technology. There are also some indications,
though the evidence is limited, that the publications resulting from military-funded
work are of lower quality (Langley et al. 2008 ).
The military sector has a large and disproportionate effect on science, engineering
and technology and is focusing particularly on engineering and physical science
departments in 'high prestige' universities (Langley et al. 2008 ). The extent of
military funding may be diverting skilled researchers from important civilian
work and threatening the availability of civilian science and technology skills,
for instance, for cleaner technologies. Science, engineering and technology pro-
grammes on confl ict prevention, environmental protection and poverty alleviation
have been shown to have the potential for signifi cant benefi ts at relatively low cost,
but like disarmament and peace building initiatives, their funding amounts to only a
small percentage of the military budget. Similarly, renewable energy R&D, required
for dealing with climate change, receives only a fraction of the funds devoted to
military R&D (Langley et al. 2005 ). Total R&D spending on sustainable security,
including climate change, by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the
period 2008 was only £42.5 million, a very meagre 2.8% of the £1,497 million MoD
R&D spending (Parkinson et al. 2013 ).
However, annual MoD R&D spending in the UK has reduced by 40% over the
last 10 years in real terms and from 33% to 17% of the total public R&D budget. At
the same time, government spending on renewable energy R&D has increased
20-fold but is still less than one tenth of military R&D expenditure. Largely as a
result of austerity measures, total military spending, including warships, tanks and
fi ghter planes, is to be cut by 8% between 2010 and 2014. There is also some
recognition of the need for a broader approach to security, including attention to
factors such as climate change that drive insecurity, as well as the threat from
environmental problems, disease and accidents.
There have been a number of government initiatives to transfer military technology
to civilian applications. This has included the combination of 30 separate laborato-
ries and other establishments, such as the Porton Down chemical and biological
research centre and the Malvern radar and signals research establishment, into the
Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA). DERA was the largest government