Last week, Dr. Steven G. Wax, performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, presented the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy at the Technology Cooperation Program (TTCP) Principals Meeting.
TTCP is a science and technology alliance among the Five Eyes (FVEY) nations – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Representatives met Sept. 11-15, 2023, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
That strategy highlights the important role our allies and partners play in our research and development ecosystem.
"The Annual TTCP Principals Meeting is one of the most important annual engagements where the U.S. and our FVEY partners have the opportunity to collaborate on achieving our national security goals and maintaining our technological advantage," Wax said. "The TTCP initiatives have made an impact include delivering medical innovation on the battlefield, influencing capability design for our future platforms and making a real difference to operations."
Meetings are held throughout the year to discuss various strategic challenges. At the annual meeting, which rotates among the FVEY nations, the principals reviewed progress from all the multi-national technology groups (aerospace, human systems, maritime and land systems, materials) and set expectations for the upcoming year.
"The annual multilateral meeting this year in Quebec City was incredibly productive as we had the opportunity to review our joint work from the past twelve months and outline priorities to strengthen our global alliances and secure our common interests," Wax said. "We are committed to pursuing opportunities with our allies to co-research and co-develop innovative technology solutions."
On day four of the meeting, the principals had the opportunity to tour the Defence Research and Development Canada, Valcartier Research Centre, which will open in Fall 2024 with 80 multi-disciplinary laboratories.
"It was a great honor to welcome Canada's defense science partners from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States to Québec City, one of our nations' oldest cities, and to DRDC's Valcartier Research Centre, one of the many R&D laboratories serving today's Canadian Armed Forces," said Dr. Jaspinder Komal, Assistant Deputy Minister, Defence Research and Development Canada, Canada's defense science and technology organization. "We were pleased to significantly advance common objectives and joint activities for The Technical Cooperation Program."
The TTCP FVEY annual meeting has taken place since 1969 and is comprised of more than 2,000 scientists and engineers.
Australia will host the next TTCP Principals Meeting, tentatively scheduled for the week of September 23, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia.
