MINERVA
Abstract
The objective of this project is to support the Minerva Research Initiative (MRI), a university-based social science research program initiated by the Secretary of Defense in FY09. It focuses on areas in the social sciences that are of strategic importance to U.S. national security policy which have not been substantially pursued in the past. The Minerva research effort will be performed to understand the internal military-political dynamics of repressive regimes, the vulnerabilities of regimes and institutions to various kinds of influence and instability, the nature of crowd dynamics, the potential to influence public opinions and attitudes in diverse cultures, cultural effects on network security and military operations, the influence of technology on military capabilities of potential adversaries and allies, and other intersections of social-cultural issues with military activities. Predictive models and other analysis tools will be developed. Leveraging the expertise in the social sciences within the academic community is needed to provide understanding of the roots of terrorist organizations and the challenges and opportunities for military operations in a culturally diverse environment. Better understanding at a fundamental level and new computational tools will provide a beneficial impact on war fighting capabilities at the national policy, military strategy, operational, and tactical levels, and will enhance the capabilities of intelligence activities at all levels. All research results will be open source. In FY11, this project consolidated efforts that were initiated under PE 0601103A, Project D55. Existing grants on the studies of the strategic impact of religious and cultural change in the Muslim world; Iraqi perspectives; and studies of terrorist organizations and ideologies; and new approaches to understanding dimensions of national security, conflict and cooperation from that project will be continued in FY12. Also in FY12, new research activities related to Minerva Outreach and In-House capability will be funded though the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The cited work is consistent with the Director, Defense Research and Engineering Strategic Basic Research Plan, the Army Modernization Strategy, and the Army Science and Technology Master Plan, as well as the requirements of the Army Culture and Foreign Language Strategy. Work in this project will be executed extramurally by the Army Research Office and National Science Foundation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- V72_0601103A_1_2040_PB_2012
Related Documents
- Root: University Research Initiatives
- Child Accomplishment: Minerva Outreach and In-house Capability
- Child Accomplishment: Minerva University Consortia