By Steve Hammons
Is it cosmic synergy and synchronicity or just a creative spirit that is making Arizona the focus of film and television projects linked to unusual phenomena?
The independent film The Appearance of a Man and the TV series Paranormal Matrix were both created in Arizona.
The Appearance of a Man will be featured at the 15th annual Sedona Film Festival which runs from Feb. 23 to March 1.
The Appearance of a Man earned two awards at the San Diego Film Festival in September 2008. These included Heineken's Red Star Award for Outstanding Film for Daniel Pace, writer, director, editor and executive producer. Lead actor and producer Michael Tassoni earned the festival's award for Best Actor.
The film also was also awarded Best Director at the Ohio University Film Festival, Best Feature at the Indie Fest and Best Cinematography at the Monaco Film Festival.
According to the film’s press release, it is “an intriguing, visually stunning story that begins on the night of March 13, 1997, when strange lights were seen in the Phoenix sky. An unknown, yet somehow vaguely recognized man appears in the streets of Phoenix, touching off a series of extraordinary events in the lives of those he encounters.”
Interestingly, in late January 2009, apparent new information began surfacing about the behind-the-scenes activities at Arizona’s two major Air Force bases during the Phoenix Lights incident.
The small screen is also part of recent creative endeavors in Arizona. The TV series Paranormal Matrix is being marketed by Ken Liljegren and Gregg Housey of Spectrum Video & Film, based in Phoenix. They have been conferring with programming executives from around the U.S. and internationally.
Paranormal Matrix is a half-hour program in a news-entertainment format. Segments include unconventional topics such as unusual human consciousness phenomena, leading-edge and emerging research as well as other anomalous subjects. Host Katie Cook guides viewers through these fascinating topics and guest interviews.
When the Paranormal Matrix creators had a preview party in Phoenix Jan. 22, 2008, the producer of the award-winning documentary film Phoenix Lights, Lynne Kitei, M.D., attended.
ARIZONA SPIRIT
Although the Phoenix Lights incident is associated with Phoenix’s “Valley of the Sun,” the phenomena actually stretched from Arizona’s border with Nevada all the way to the Arizona-Mexico border.
The large V-shaped craft that Arizonans say they spotted probably passed near the Sedona region.
When the Sedona Film Festival begins Feb. 23, people from around the country and around the world will converge on the beautiful, mysterious and magical “red rock country” of central Arizona. The festival will feature 140 independent films.
Sedona is an ideal place for creativity, and the appreciation of it, to bubble up into the consciousness.
Known around the world for its mystical energy vortexes, Sedona is located at an altitude of 4,500 feet on Arizona's Colorado Plateau. It is about 125 miles north of Phoenix and the Sonoran Desert (elevation 1,100 feet) and about 30 miles south of the pine-covered mountains of Flagstaff (at 8,000 feet).
Native Americans considered the Sedona area a special place. And today, it is a location enjoyed by people who want to experience the outdoors, the unique geography, the fine inns and resorts as well as the wonderful art galleries. The metaphysical bookstores, shops and healers also add to the special flavor of Sedona.
Whether Arizonans and visitors are enjoying the mountains, the desert or the special regions in-between, the unique beauty of the state continues to inspire the appreciation of Nature and Earth.
Telling the stories of humanity, in the forms of film, television, art and other creative endeavors, are part of the Arizona experience. Even “the ancient ones” did this – you can find petroglyphs and and pictographs or "rock art" as well as the ruins of ancient peoples who lived throughout Arizona.
Wouldn’t they be fascinated by the platforms such as film and TV and the creative works being developed in Arizona?
The Appearance of a Man and Paranormal Matrix are just two examples of the creative spirit in the Grand Canyon State. They seem to reflect a special perspective on life and our Universe that is part of living in Arizona.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
New intel group IARPA should explore soft power
By Steve Hammons
The U.S. intelligence community's new research and development agency can include efforts to enhance soft power assets as well as R&D in advanced technology as part of their ongoing activities and emerging challenges.
The newly-formed Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has evolved from previous intelligence activities and is now apparently trying to model itself on the respected Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which was created in 1958.
Can the new IARPA follow DARPA's example to recognize and identify the current and coming challenges facing the intelligence community, or even provide newer and more innovative transcendent intelligence resources, such as the optimization of soft power assets?
IARPA could be helpful. A key element in soft power is the ability to attract people in many walks of life, in many countries and in various tactical and strategic contexts to become friends and allies. These goals can be as important as R&D of technologies.
When the U.S. is engaged in worthwhile efforts that are intelligent, beneficial and morally sound, the ability to communicate these factors internally and externally becomes not only quite important, but imperative in taking the high ground.
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
Technology and gadgets do have their place in today's society. And, they can be merged with soft power modalities to create a synergy of transcendent warfare and transcendent intelligence activities.
Dr. Lisa Porter, IARPA director, and Dr. Timothy Murphy, deputy director, lead the agency. According to the agency's Web site, "IARPA reports to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Director of Science and Technology. IARPA by design does not have an operational mission, and its focus is on capabilities that the user community might want in the future, not on the requirements they have today."
The future will require that the U.S. take intelligent and ethical positions, implement activities accordingly and then communicate via soft power resources about our stances and intentions. These steps will have many benefits, including the ability to attract intelligence from human sources (HUMINT).
U.S. activities internationally, and in space, are essentially an expression of human nature, human psychology, human behavior and human consciousness. The same is true for other nations, cultures and societies on our planet.
Various aspects of hard power and soft power are results and reflections of this human consciousness in one way or another.
Therefore, when we more fundamentally address and explore human consciousness, we get to the heart of human attitudes and behavior. This is important in understanding others – and ourselves.
HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
If we accept that human consciousness, perception, awareness and understanding are basic parts of successful endeavors and soft power, then adequate and intelligent R&D should be focused on them.
From conventional theories of human psychology and the behavioral sciences to leading-edge research on anomalous cognition, much has been learned about human consciousness and human behavior over past decades.
However, basic understanding about this body of knowledge is sometimes lacking among the general public and people in many walks of life, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Because human behavior is so significantly linked to the human mind and human consciousness, the appropriate dissemination of information about this topic is important to make progress on a myriad of fronts.
In addition, because of emerging and leading-edge research indicating that human consciousness has greater potential than most people previously believed, it is useful to convey information on these topics.
We might wonder if the understanding about human consciousness, nationally and internationally, will result in significant improvements in many areas important to the U.S.
These include, but are not limited to: counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, prevention and resolution of regional conflicts, enhancing social cohesion and cooperation, enhancing creative problem-solving, improving overall human functioning and obtaining HUMINT.
AMERICA LEADS AGAIN
Deploying information to enhance understanding of emerging leading-edge knowledge about human consciousness can and should be done in many ways.
Methods of communication should be specific to the target audiences and fit their demographic characteristics (geography, age, gender, ethnicity, cultural elements, profession, etc.). Platforms for communication can include dissemination of articles and books or the use of radio, TV and movies. The internet also provides rich possibilities as an educational platform.
At this time, the U.S. is re-perceived at home and internationally as a force for decency and progress. Building on this current situation and being a leader in transcendent warfare and human consciousness education could enhance HUMINT opportunities and resources in many contexts and scenarios.
By focusing on human consciousness and the interesting body of knowledge about it, soft power efforts can potentially reach a wide portion of the U.S. and international population. This can result in the U.S. being perceived as a leading influence in efforts for human progress of many kinds.
This posture could also help position the U.S. as a leader in transcendent warfare expertise and create a synergy when combined with U.S. hard power, public diplomacy, intelligence activities and other efforts.
Will IARPA be an agency that recognizes and contributes to soft power and transcendent warfare R&D, optimizing understanding of human consciousness and deploying leading-edge and emerging approaches? If they do, it could benefit all of us.
The U.S. intelligence community's new research and development agency can include efforts to enhance soft power assets as well as R&D in advanced technology as part of their ongoing activities and emerging challenges.
The newly-formed Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has evolved from previous intelligence activities and is now apparently trying to model itself on the respected Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which was created in 1958.
Can the new IARPA follow DARPA's example to recognize and identify the current and coming challenges facing the intelligence community, or even provide newer and more innovative transcendent intelligence resources, such as the optimization of soft power assets?
IARPA could be helpful. A key element in soft power is the ability to attract people in many walks of life, in many countries and in various tactical and strategic contexts to become friends and allies. These goals can be as important as R&D of technologies.
When the U.S. is engaged in worthwhile efforts that are intelligent, beneficial and morally sound, the ability to communicate these factors internally and externally becomes not only quite important, but imperative in taking the high ground.
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
Technology and gadgets do have their place in today's society. And, they can be merged with soft power modalities to create a synergy of transcendent warfare and transcendent intelligence activities.
Dr. Lisa Porter, IARPA director, and Dr. Timothy Murphy, deputy director, lead the agency. According to the agency's Web site, "IARPA reports to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Director of Science and Technology. IARPA by design does not have an operational mission, and its focus is on capabilities that the user community might want in the future, not on the requirements they have today."
The future will require that the U.S. take intelligent and ethical positions, implement activities accordingly and then communicate via soft power resources about our stances and intentions. These steps will have many benefits, including the ability to attract intelligence from human sources (HUMINT).
U.S. activities internationally, and in space, are essentially an expression of human nature, human psychology, human behavior and human consciousness. The same is true for other nations, cultures and societies on our planet.
Various aspects of hard power and soft power are results and reflections of this human consciousness in one way or another.
Therefore, when we more fundamentally address and explore human consciousness, we get to the heart of human attitudes and behavior. This is important in understanding others – and ourselves.
HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
If we accept that human consciousness, perception, awareness and understanding are basic parts of successful endeavors and soft power, then adequate and intelligent R&D should be focused on them.
From conventional theories of human psychology and the behavioral sciences to leading-edge research on anomalous cognition, much has been learned about human consciousness and human behavior over past decades.
However, basic understanding about this body of knowledge is sometimes lacking among the general public and people in many walks of life, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Because human behavior is so significantly linked to the human mind and human consciousness, the appropriate dissemination of information about this topic is important to make progress on a myriad of fronts.
In addition, because of emerging and leading-edge research indicating that human consciousness has greater potential than most people previously believed, it is useful to convey information on these topics.
We might wonder if the understanding about human consciousness, nationally and internationally, will result in significant improvements in many areas important to the U.S.
These include, but are not limited to: counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, prevention and resolution of regional conflicts, enhancing social cohesion and cooperation, enhancing creative problem-solving, improving overall human functioning and obtaining HUMINT.
AMERICA LEADS AGAIN
Deploying information to enhance understanding of emerging leading-edge knowledge about human consciousness can and should be done in many ways.
Methods of communication should be specific to the target audiences and fit their demographic characteristics (geography, age, gender, ethnicity, cultural elements, profession, etc.). Platforms for communication can include dissemination of articles and books or the use of radio, TV and movies. The internet also provides rich possibilities as an educational platform.
At this time, the U.S. is re-perceived at home and internationally as a force for decency and progress. Building on this current situation and being a leader in transcendent warfare and human consciousness education could enhance HUMINT opportunities and resources in many contexts and scenarios.
By focusing on human consciousness and the interesting body of knowledge about it, soft power efforts can potentially reach a wide portion of the U.S. and international population. This can result in the U.S. being perceived as a leading influence in efforts for human progress of many kinds.
This posture could also help position the U.S. as a leader in transcendent warfare expertise and create a synergy when combined with U.S. hard power, public diplomacy, intelligence activities and other efforts.
Will IARPA be an agency that recognizes and contributes to soft power and transcendent warfare R&D, optimizing understanding of human consciousness and deploying leading-edge and emerging approaches? If they do, it could benefit all of us.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Funding for ‘soft power’ R&D needed now
By Steve Hammons
In a recent open letter to President Obama, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Pedro L. Rustan, told the president that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) could be helpful in renewing our economy and optimizing “human capital.”
DARPA provides funding for leading-edge research and development of technologies and systems to help the Defense Department. Of course, other federal government and private organizations also provide grants and funding assistance for a wide range of useful R&D activities.
Although the focus is sometimes on devices and technologies, it has also become apparent that “soft power” resources can be as valuable, or sometimes even more valuable, than “hard power” technologies and weapons. User of soft power can also be merged with and enhance hard power elements.
Soft power approaches generally refer to diplomacy (including public diplomacy), persuasion, information and communication, economic pressures and incentives, psychological operations, public relations and similar activities.
These may be overt, covert or some combination of both. They may be geared toward friendly nations or hostile adversaries. They may be aimed at the international community or at the American people.
Research funding geared toward new and advanced understanding of soft power may be helpful.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
In international and U.S. defense matters, whether we consider the “winning the hearts and minds” efforts of the Vietnam War era or a newer concept such as optimizing the “human terrain,” there seem to be important factors that can lead to success or failure.
The same could be said about economic issues, social progress, health and medical care, education, cultural affairs and a wide range of other human endeavors.
Studying and applying leading-edge aspects of human perception, awareness, understanding and consciousness can be used to make progress in all these areas.
However, we can look at defense matters as an example.
Not to be confused with “mind control,” deceptive propaganda activities or manipulative psychological operations, an emerging concept sometimes referred to as “transcendent warfare” incorporates a new view of soft power.
The idea of transcendent warfare includes the use of knowledge and understanding about leading-edge research into human consciousness.
How to best apply this awareness in pursuit of legitimate goals is something that seems worthy of research and funding from federal government-related organizations.
According to a recent Associated Press report, “As it fights two wars, the Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls ‘the human terrain’ of world public opinion. An Associated Press investigation found that over the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 percent, to at least $4.7 billion this year.”
These expenditure and efforts reflect the recognition that soft power, information operations and communication activities to influence human consciousness can have value.
They can also backfire, or create “blow-back” if people feel they are being lied to or manipulated for questionable purposes.
THE HUMAN MIND
When trying to understand human behavior and the underlying thoughts, feelings and beliefs that motivate behavior, we might sometimes think in outdated ways.
Various conventional theories of psychology indicate that our understanding of the human mind is evolving and that there are many views about what is involved in human consciousness.
The human mind involves a myriad of factors including the conscious and unconscious, thoughts and feelings, dreams and imagination, biological and biochemical aspects, creativity and destructiveness, health and pathologies, cultural and sociological influences, gender, age and maybe even genetics, among other influences.
Some longstanding psychological theories even include the idea of some kind of collective consciousness or group subconscious.
Spiritual and philosophical approaches have long proposed that humans can connect to a transcendent consciousness through prayer, meditation or other methods.
Newer research has included indications that the human mind has capabilities and potential to perceive more, and in different ways, than we previously understood. Some of this research was funded by the U.S. Government in recent past decades and it did yield very promising results.
Sometimes called “remote viewing,” sometimes called “anomalous cognition,” these capabilities of the human mind were discovered to be quite useful in our current times. They probably also existed in ancient humans and in other creatures because they can be key to sensing danger and survival.
The ability to perceive may not be limited in space and time in ways we were brought up to understand.
APPLY AND DEPLOY
How do we take this new understanding and deploy it for American society, U.S. national interests, our public diplomacy and our international activities?
Can the existing research be leveraged to enhance U.S. prosperity and successes of various kinds? Can the research results be utilized in our economic situation, peace operations, humanitarian operations and other worthwhile efforts?
How do we blend transcendent warfare concepts with constructive engagement in the international community while also making progress at home?
How do we apply lessons learned from anomalous cognition research to our own people, our economic engines, our armed forces, our intelligence community, our educational and health care systems?
These questions seem to need answers. Appropriate research funding to examine possible ways forward could be helpful on many fronts.
After all, anomalous cognition may not really be so “anomalous.” It may be quite normal and natural. Learning ways to apply existing research seems like the next logical step – a step that can be applied widely and probably with good results.
Let’s get moving on this aspect of developing human capital and using leading-edge and emerging understanding about human consciousness.
In a recent open letter to President Obama, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Pedro L. Rustan, told the president that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) could be helpful in renewing our economy and optimizing “human capital.”
DARPA provides funding for leading-edge research and development of technologies and systems to help the Defense Department. Of course, other federal government and private organizations also provide grants and funding assistance for a wide range of useful R&D activities.
Although the focus is sometimes on devices and technologies, it has also become apparent that “soft power” resources can be as valuable, or sometimes even more valuable, than “hard power” technologies and weapons. User of soft power can also be merged with and enhance hard power elements.
Soft power approaches generally refer to diplomacy (including public diplomacy), persuasion, information and communication, economic pressures and incentives, psychological operations, public relations and similar activities.
These may be overt, covert or some combination of both. They may be geared toward friendly nations or hostile adversaries. They may be aimed at the international community or at the American people.
Research funding geared toward new and advanced understanding of soft power may be helpful.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
In international and U.S. defense matters, whether we consider the “winning the hearts and minds” efforts of the Vietnam War era or a newer concept such as optimizing the “human terrain,” there seem to be important factors that can lead to success or failure.
The same could be said about economic issues, social progress, health and medical care, education, cultural affairs and a wide range of other human endeavors.
Studying and applying leading-edge aspects of human perception, awareness, understanding and consciousness can be used to make progress in all these areas.
However, we can look at defense matters as an example.
Not to be confused with “mind control,” deceptive propaganda activities or manipulative psychological operations, an emerging concept sometimes referred to as “transcendent warfare” incorporates a new view of soft power.
The idea of transcendent warfare includes the use of knowledge and understanding about leading-edge research into human consciousness.
How to best apply this awareness in pursuit of legitimate goals is something that seems worthy of research and funding from federal government-related organizations.
According to a recent Associated Press report, “As it fights two wars, the Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls ‘the human terrain’ of world public opinion. An Associated Press investigation found that over the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 percent, to at least $4.7 billion this year.”
These expenditure and efforts reflect the recognition that soft power, information operations and communication activities to influence human consciousness can have value.
They can also backfire, or create “blow-back” if people feel they are being lied to or manipulated for questionable purposes.
THE HUMAN MIND
When trying to understand human behavior and the underlying thoughts, feelings and beliefs that motivate behavior, we might sometimes think in outdated ways.
Various conventional theories of psychology indicate that our understanding of the human mind is evolving and that there are many views about what is involved in human consciousness.
The human mind involves a myriad of factors including the conscious and unconscious, thoughts and feelings, dreams and imagination, biological and biochemical aspects, creativity and destructiveness, health and pathologies, cultural and sociological influences, gender, age and maybe even genetics, among other influences.
Some longstanding psychological theories even include the idea of some kind of collective consciousness or group subconscious.
Spiritual and philosophical approaches have long proposed that humans can connect to a transcendent consciousness through prayer, meditation or other methods.
Newer research has included indications that the human mind has capabilities and potential to perceive more, and in different ways, than we previously understood. Some of this research was funded by the U.S. Government in recent past decades and it did yield very promising results.
Sometimes called “remote viewing,” sometimes called “anomalous cognition,” these capabilities of the human mind were discovered to be quite useful in our current times. They probably also existed in ancient humans and in other creatures because they can be key to sensing danger and survival.
The ability to perceive may not be limited in space and time in ways we were brought up to understand.
APPLY AND DEPLOY
How do we take this new understanding and deploy it for American society, U.S. national interests, our public diplomacy and our international activities?
Can the existing research be leveraged to enhance U.S. prosperity and successes of various kinds? Can the research results be utilized in our economic situation, peace operations, humanitarian operations and other worthwhile efforts?
How do we blend transcendent warfare concepts with constructive engagement in the international community while also making progress at home?
How do we apply lessons learned from anomalous cognition research to our own people, our economic engines, our armed forces, our intelligence community, our educational and health care systems?
These questions seem to need answers. Appropriate research funding to examine possible ways forward could be helpful on many fronts.
After all, anomalous cognition may not really be so “anomalous.” It may be quite normal and natural. Learning ways to apply existing research seems like the next logical step – a step that can be applied widely and probably with good results.
Let’s get moving on this aspect of developing human capital and using leading-edge and emerging understanding about human consciousness.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
DARPA, In-Q-Tel can expand efforts for U.S.
By Steve Hammons
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) should be used in expanded ways to help the U.S. economy and American society, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) wrote to President Obama.
In an open letter to Obama published Jan. 12, 2009, in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, Pedro L. Rustan wrote that "Expanding this entrepreneurial and innovative agency's role beyond traditional defense-related industries will help you rebuild the U.S. economy and create jobs.”
Rustan is director of the NRO’s Ground Enterprise Directorate. The NRO is an agency of the U.S. intelligence community.
“For more than 50 years, [DARPA] innovations have enhanced the Defense Dept., the intelligence community and commercial industry,” according to Rustan.
He told Obama that, “Expanding DARPA's role will cultivate our nation's entrepreneurial spirit and enable us to continue to lead the global economy.”
As Rustan pointed out in his letter, today’s Internet is the result of the earlier ARPAnet, developed by DARPA.
Although he focused on DARPA’s past, current and potential future activities, Rustan’s views might also apply to other organizations. One example is the not-for-profit independent venture capital firm In-Q-Tel.
In-Q-Tel provides funding for innovative R&D that helps the U.S. intelligence community. Could In-Q-Tel’s activities also be expanded to help America?
HUMAN ELEMENT
Rustan pointed out that nanotechnology, biotechnology and information/communication technology are three general areas that should be focal points.
He also noted that human development, education and training are key elements.
”Refocusing DARPA to address both military and commercial areas cannot be successful without paying equal attention to the development of human capital,” he wrote.
In addition, “DARPA should expand efforts in cognitive sciences,” Rustan said.
Taking his idea further, we might consider that leading-edge developments in cognitive sciences, neurosciences, behavioral sciences, human communication, studies of human consciousness and related fields seem to offer tremendous potential.
After all, activities of our defense and intelligence communities, as well as our educational, economic and cultural endeavors are all tied to human behavior, perception, understanding and the other elements of the human species and human civilization.
The “hard power” technologies that groups like DARPA and In-Q-Tel have traditionally nurtured can be expanded to include “soft power” elements. Soft power not only can greatly enhance hard power resources, but can also serve as stand-alone tools to make progress on many fronts.
TRANSCENDENT APPROACHES
Emerging understanding and leading-edge research of many kinds remind us that our world is rapidly changing, sometimes in ways that cause us great concern.
Safety and security, freedom and justice, creativity and innovation, natural resources preservation and conservation, social cohesion and cooperation, effective agriculture, sustainable energy, economic prosperity, improved education, human development and many other fundamental goals are worthy targets for increased and advanced efforts.
At the heart of these efforts and goals are the many aspects of human consciousness.
The study of this intriguing field is no less important than our R&D of advanced technologies that organizations like DARPA and In-Q-Tel have traditionally cultivated.
Similar to the defense and intelligence communities’ study of “anomalous cognition” and “remote viewing” which include interesting and promising elements of human awareness, we can expand activities to take the next steps in these areas.
Several years ago, when a former Navy SEAL officer wrote a graduate-level paper for the Marine Corps War College about remote viewing research and operations, he referred to these efforts as being part of “transcendent warfare” – a way of optimizing leading-edge research results and innovative approaches to successfully accomplish a wide range of missions.
The SEAL and NRO official Rustan may be on to something. Maybe we should expand our thinking beyond what has sufficed in the past when considering what is valuable for our defense and intelligence communities.
After all, we are all part of a larger “intelligence community” – the community of the United States of America and of the human race. Let us hope that this community is intelligent enough to move forward in positive and constructive ways.
American society and culture will survive and thrive if we cultivate the intelligence of our people, improve understanding of emerging developments and show the world that we are a powerful force for good on Earth, and beyond.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) should be used in expanded ways to help the U.S. economy and American society, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) wrote to President Obama.
In an open letter to Obama published Jan. 12, 2009, in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, Pedro L. Rustan wrote that "Expanding this entrepreneurial and innovative agency's role beyond traditional defense-related industries will help you rebuild the U.S. economy and create jobs.”
Rustan is director of the NRO’s Ground Enterprise Directorate. The NRO is an agency of the U.S. intelligence community.
“For more than 50 years, [DARPA] innovations have enhanced the Defense Dept., the intelligence community and commercial industry,” according to Rustan.
He told Obama that, “Expanding DARPA's role will cultivate our nation's entrepreneurial spirit and enable us to continue to lead the global economy.”
As Rustan pointed out in his letter, today’s Internet is the result of the earlier ARPAnet, developed by DARPA.
Although he focused on DARPA’s past, current and potential future activities, Rustan’s views might also apply to other organizations. One example is the not-for-profit independent venture capital firm In-Q-Tel.
In-Q-Tel provides funding for innovative R&D that helps the U.S. intelligence community. Could In-Q-Tel’s activities also be expanded to help America?
HUMAN ELEMENT
Rustan pointed out that nanotechnology, biotechnology and information/communication technology are three general areas that should be focal points.
He also noted that human development, education and training are key elements.
”Refocusing DARPA to address both military and commercial areas cannot be successful without paying equal attention to the development of human capital,” he wrote.
In addition, “DARPA should expand efforts in cognitive sciences,” Rustan said.
Taking his idea further, we might consider that leading-edge developments in cognitive sciences, neurosciences, behavioral sciences, human communication, studies of human consciousness and related fields seem to offer tremendous potential.
After all, activities of our defense and intelligence communities, as well as our educational, economic and cultural endeavors are all tied to human behavior, perception, understanding and the other elements of the human species and human civilization.
The “hard power” technologies that groups like DARPA and In-Q-Tel have traditionally nurtured can be expanded to include “soft power” elements. Soft power not only can greatly enhance hard power resources, but can also serve as stand-alone tools to make progress on many fronts.
TRANSCENDENT APPROACHES
Emerging understanding and leading-edge research of many kinds remind us that our world is rapidly changing, sometimes in ways that cause us great concern.
Safety and security, freedom and justice, creativity and innovation, natural resources preservation and conservation, social cohesion and cooperation, effective agriculture, sustainable energy, economic prosperity, improved education, human development and many other fundamental goals are worthy targets for increased and advanced efforts.
At the heart of these efforts and goals are the many aspects of human consciousness.
The study of this intriguing field is no less important than our R&D of advanced technologies that organizations like DARPA and In-Q-Tel have traditionally cultivated.
Similar to the defense and intelligence communities’ study of “anomalous cognition” and “remote viewing” which include interesting and promising elements of human awareness, we can expand activities to take the next steps in these areas.
Several years ago, when a former Navy SEAL officer wrote a graduate-level paper for the Marine Corps War College about remote viewing research and operations, he referred to these efforts as being part of “transcendent warfare” – a way of optimizing leading-edge research results and innovative approaches to successfully accomplish a wide range of missions.
The SEAL and NRO official Rustan may be on to something. Maybe we should expand our thinking beyond what has sufficed in the past when considering what is valuable for our defense and intelligence communities.
After all, we are all part of a larger “intelligence community” – the community of the United States of America and of the human race. Let us hope that this community is intelligent enough to move forward in positive and constructive ways.
American society and culture will survive and thrive if we cultivate the intelligence of our people, improve understanding of emerging developments and show the world that we are a powerful force for good on Earth, and beyond.
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