The Air Force Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will establish a Department of the Air Force Science and Technology Roundtable. The roundtable will meet quarterly to (1) consider challenges and opportunities associated with the Department of the Air Force’s (DAF) science and technology (S&T) mission requirements and the research priorities of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL); (2) review specific processes and procedures that the DAF S&T community employs to foster rapid delivery of priority warfighter capabilities; and (3) provide expert feedback on the DAF’s plans for establishing and promoting an organic science and engineering workforce.

The roundtable will be comprised of diverse representatives from government, industry, and academia with expertise in the science and engineering disciplines. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology and Engineering and the Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force will serve as members of the roundtable in an ex officio capacity.

Topics for discussion will be jointly determined by the Director and the Chair of the roundtable, with input from the members. The roundtable may commission the preparation of individually authored documents to explore and stimulate deeper examinations of particular topics for use by the roundtable. The roundtable may also propose separate workshops or consensus studies to be undertaken, which will result in institutional reports. All such activities, if commenced, will be conducted independently from the roundtable and in accordance with all institutional policies and procedures governing such activities.

The roundtable will complement the discussion topics pursued under the Capability Development Planning and Technology Transition in the DAF Roundtable and be designed to facilitate timely and open dialogue among participants. Where appropriate, the roundtable will carry awareness of challenges and issues to the wider Department of Defense community of stakeholders. All activities of the Roundtable will be conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines described in “Roundtables: Policy and Procedures.”