Military money for scientific research...should we all be asking what else the military are funding...?

Question

the military are apparently funding research and development of invisibility ...and by all accounts seem to have themselves a breakthrough...their interest is with regard to stealth technology...

i find this kind of scary...

should we be asking what other scientific reserch and development is being funded by the military...and what their interest would be in acquiring the knowledge they seek...

whilst i appreciate that technology can help us all...including the military...i do find the idea of the military having knowledge of some of the prospective scientific discovery out there a little spooky...

as human beings, do we not have the right to know what is being reserached and funded by our governments and our military...???

is there anywhere we can see what is being funded and developed and by who...any general information of military involvement in science...???...

i dont 'do' politics much, but i am very interested in science and when i read about thie latest breakthrough in invisibilty i was excited...two minutes later i felt slightly sick when read of the possibilities of use for tanks...makes me shudder...;0)

Answer 1

throughout history, many discoveries are funded through government and military research, including private research grants. The results are positive if you consider the advances since world war two. We have plastics which changed our society in all the products we now use,including your computer components. Consider also the technology in computer chips that hold so much date on a thing hardly bigger than a postage stamp.Medical research gave us penicillin and many other medical break throughs.The down side is that we can now destroy the world with nuclear devices.But we do have nuclear power plants, if the greenies will let us build them.We don't have the right to know everything, at least not up front. There is national security to consider, but eventually, all things are revealed, and we as a society benefit.I understand your concern, but exercise patience, and it will be sorted out.

Answer 2

it would be renedered useless if they let people know what they were doing. If you tell everyone that you are developing a certain technology, then out enemies would find out and counter it. money down the drain.

Answer 3

First there is no "invisibility" stuff like in the movies, what they are doing is "active camouflage" and this gives the "ilussion" of invisibility from certain distance but is not real invisibility. So do't buy everything your read on the net...there is no "major breakthrough" as you put it. I guess that's why you can't post a reputable source.

As for the right to know what our goverment do, well, there are valid reasons to keep their work secret: for example in WW2 the British invented the radar and they keep it a secret, and their planes defeated most German planes thanks to this, but they let German pilots think that British pilots got better vision because of eatin carrots.

On the other side we don't want crazy scientist messing with stuff that could get out of control like a virus or somthing like that.

Answer 4

What you need to do is take a look around your own house at all the things that were originally designed for, or by the military and then realize without that research, you would still be living in a third world country.

In fact, if not for military research, you wouldn't even be sniveling on the Internet right now. Algore didn't really invent the internet.  

Answer 5

I understand what you are saying , however I feel the complete opposite. I am glad that our military does this kind of research I just don`t like the fact that it gets leaked out.  

Answer 6

They have researched the possibilities of lazers but solely for the purpose of burning the optic nerves and blinding the opposition  I think the UN pulled the plug on that one, then there was research into maser technology utilizing microwaves to more or less burn to death the opposition from the inside out.  The Israelis are working on a gun that can shoot round corners also they're working on neutron mines which kill all animal and plant life but leave structures intact. The list goes on.

Answer 7

Of course it is right.

Every government dept and private company funds research. Without it civilisation would be static.

If invisibility scares you you haven't got much to worry about.