Jason, a group of military scientists is in a tight situation as it stands in the middle between the science world and the Trump administration.
Jason’s staff (who are a team of 60 of the best physicists that reside in the United States) are members of an academic panel who served Pentagon as advisers for various national security topics ever since the Cold War.
The problems with the advising group started when Michael Griffin (who was appointed by President Trump and is the chief technology officer of the Pentagon) made moves to terminate Jason.
An NNSA official said that the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration told Griffin that the scientists were crucial for keeping the United States nuclear stockpile secure.
Griffin refused offers by the Gordon-Hagerty’s agency to take responsibility for the program and later refused to give a further comment but a spokeswoman Heather Babb, from the Defense Department, said the following:
“The department remains committed to seeking independent technical advice and review. This change is in keeping with this commitment while making the most economic sense.’’
According to Reuters, Jason’s supporters, backed into a corner, managed to keep the group alive, temporarily for now, for eight more months. Democrats in Congress are trying to get Jason funded through a different Pentagon office not run by Griffin, but it’s unclear whether the Republican-controlled Senate will go along.
Sherri W. Goodman, a former member of the International Security Advisory Board said:
“These are institutions of great technical expertise. They are great repositories of national expertise and also scientific expertise that has helped keep America’s competitive edge military.’’
Other people shared their views on the topic as David Wright who is a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists said:
“They speak their mind. They’ve tried very hard to be independent of the agency that is paying them. Jason can be a pain in the ass It doesn’t always give people the answers they want.’’
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