Question

What sorts of policies were adopted in order to maintain and strengthen US scientific and technological superiority?

Answer 1

The United States adopted policies to maintain and strengthen its scientific and technological superiority, including increasing funding for research and development programs and supporting innovative companies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The United States adopted various policies to maintain and strengthen its scientific and technological superiority. One of these policies was increasing funding for research and development programs, particularly in response to the Soviet space program.

This led to the consolidation of existing aeronautical research programs into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as the passing of the National Defense Education Act which provided funding for colleges to promote math, science, engineering, foreign languages, and area studies. Another policy was the concerted effort by the government to seek out applicable technology by sending students and government commissions abroad to study efficient industrial operations and to support innovative companies in building production facilities.

Answer 2

After World War II, a new threat and direct competitor emerged, the USSR, inspired the U.S. develop new strategies to remain the global leader in military and technology.

In the late 1970's, the Offset Strategy was Developed with the leadership of then-Under Secretary of Defense Bill Perry, consisting in two main parts:

1 - Investment in basic and robust in research and development (R&D), with a focus in information based technology, like networks to deliver and receive information (Internet precursors). These would improve the country's technologies and enable Technological superiority.

2 - Control and application of the technologies through export and trade route control, like the Arms Export Control Act and the Missile Technology Control Regime, allowing the U.S to provide or deny access to particular technologies on command, once these were totally funded, built and controlled by the country.

The strategy was and enormous success, leading the country into an era of scientific-technological dominance by the U.S, resulting not only in the upper hand during the Cold War, but also birthing early-generation microelectronics, nuclear power and a lot of technologies present in the world today.