NDIA urges White House on quick nomination of science adviser

ARLINGTON, VA -- Officials of the National Defense Industrial Association are asking the White House for a prompt nomination to director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), citing its “significant role in national security innovation,” the Arlington, Virginia, defense trade organization announces.

The Feb. 23 letter from Hawk Carlisle, NDIA’s president and CEO, and Mark Lewis, executive director of NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute, noted OSTP’s importance to defense research and innovation. They cited how through this office, experts from government agencies, national labs and universities lead interagency work, draft policy and executive orders and help Congress shape legislation for national security research and industry.

The letter cites a recent OSTP workshop on quantum computing as well as efforts to ensure sanctity of national research among the many exemplary reasons to “move prudently and quickly to fill this important position.” Carlisle and Lewis also referenced President Joe Biden’s acknowledging the importance of the position when he elevated it to a cabinet-level position at the beginning of his administration.

The letter went to the president and to Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Acting OSTP Director Alondra Nelson. The complete letter is available here.

For media queries, contact Evamarie Socha at esocha@NDIA.org.