Minerva
Abstract
This Project supports the Minerva Research Initiative (MRI), a university-based social science research program initiated by the Secretary of Defense in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. It focuses on areas in the social sciences that are of strategic importance to 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 disruption and instability, the nature of crowd dynamics, group violence, community belief structures, the potential to influence public opinion 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 and national security. 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 are open source. The cited work is consistent with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering science and technology priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2018
- Source ID
- V72_0601103A_1_2040_PB_2018
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- Root: University Research Initiatives
- Child Accomplishment: The Minerva Research Initiative (MRI)