I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7106 

To require the Department of Defense to maintain a basic social sciences 

research program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2020 

Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself, Mr. MCKINLEY, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To require the Department of Defense to maintain a basic 

social sciences research program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Social Sciences Protect 

5 Our Nation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The 2017 National Academies of Sciences, 

9 Engineering and Medicine report on The Value of 

10 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:09 Jun 24, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7106.IH H7106

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 7106 IH

1 tional Priorities asserts ‘‘Having a fundamental un2 derstanding of how people and societies behave, why 

3 they respond the way they do, what they find impor4 tant, what they believe or value, and what and how 

5 they think about others is critical for the country’s 

6 well-being in today’s global environment.’’. 

7 (2) There is a national need for investing in di8 verse basic research social science, and facilitating 

9 transition of those findings to inform national de10 fense priorities and actions. 

11 (3) In 2008, while giving a speech entitled ‘‘Na12 tional Security: What New Expertise is Needed?’’, 

13 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated ‘‘Too 

14 many mistakes have been made over the years be15 cause our government and military did not under16 stand—or even seek to understand—the countries or 

17 cultures we were dealing with.’’. 

18 (4) In response, the Department of Defense ini19 tiated a basic social science research program to im20 prove basic understanding of the social, cultural, be21 havioral, and political forces that shape regions of 

22 the world of strategic importance to the United 

23 States. 

24 (5) The National Academy of Sciences found in 

25 their 2019 evaluation of the Department of Defense 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 7106 IH

1 defense-wide basic social sciences program that ‘‘de2 spite facing challenges with establishing a stable, 

3 well-functioning organizational structure as well as 

4 resource limitations, the program has made impor5 tant contributions’’ and that the program has suc6 cessfully strengthened ties between the Department 

7 and the social science community. 

8 (6) Maintaining a basic social sciences research 

9 program provides the Department of Defense critical 

10 access to expertise to inform cultural understanding, 

11 support technological edge, counter adversarial social 

12 interventions, and understand drivers to strengthen 

13 alliances and attract new partners. 

14 (7) Continued investment in basic social science 

15 research is particularly crucial at a time when peer 

16 and near-peer adversaries are increasingly employing 

17 elements of malign influence, disinformation, and 

18 predatory economics in concert with technological 

19 capabilities. 

20 SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOCIAL SCIENCES. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

22 maintain a defense-wide basic research program with an 

23 emphasis on diverse social sciences. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 7106 IH

1 (b) The Secretary of Defense shall include in the an2 nual budget submission of the President under section 

3 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code— 

4 (1) a dedicated budget line item for defense5 wide basic social science research; and 

6 (2) basic research funds from each of the serv7 ices dedicated to social science research. 

8 (c) REPORT.—Within 90 days after the date of enact9 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall report 

10 to the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate 

11 Armed Services Committee on the organizational structure 

12 of the defense-wide basic social science research program. 

13 The report shall include— 

14 (1) the responsibilities of the Under Secretary 

15 of Defense for Research and Engineering in collabo16 ration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Pol17 icy in joint oversight of the program; 

18 (2) the role of each of the services in coordi19 nating with the program; and 

20 (3) efforts to align the program with the De21 partment’s Science and Technology roadmaps and 

22 the National Defense Strategy. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS