F.A.S. Public Interest Report

Journal of the Federation of American Scientists (F.A.S.)

Contents

Spinning Out of Control: The Impact of Globalization on the Conventional Arms Trade by Tamar Gabelnick Technology Transfer: Ubiquitous Stumbling Block, Unique Opportunity by Dorothy Preslar FAS PIR Index

Henry Kelly Appointed FAS President

Henry Kelly, currently Assistant Director for Technology in the White House's Office of Science and Technology, will take office as the President of the Federation of American Scientists and the FAS Fund by June 1, replacing Jeremy J. Stone, who completes, this Spring, 30 years of service as FAS's Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Kelly, 54, was trained as a physicist at Harvard University. He has had broad work experience, including positions at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (three years), the Solar Energy Research Institute (two years), the Department of Energy (two years) and the Office of Technology Assessment (eleven years) before his seven-year stint in the White House. In his current position, he has played a central role in the development and implementation of science and technology projects throughout the federal government. This has included negotiating and implementing major administration research partnerships targeting technologies aimed at breakthroughs in the environmental performance of automobiles (PNGV), housing (PATH), and the production of fuels and feedstocks from renewable biological sources.

He convened the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee and helped translate their advice into a large expansion and refocusing of federal information technology research. And he was instrumental in creating major federal programs in learning technology for children and adults, including an executive order accelerating use of instructional technology for training federal civilian and military employees. He worked to support the Comprehensive Test Ban in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the White House and a range of nuclear disarmament issues at ACDA.

Officials at the FAS search committee reported warm endorsement of Kelly for the position. Jeremy Stone, who has known Kelly for many years, said he was "perfect for the position, an energetic, well-trained scientist and activist, with uniquely broad and relevant Washington experience, and a kind and likeable person who would get on well with staff, officials, members and funders." Kelly, he reported, had "impressed the FAS staff with his sincere interest in their projects and his desire to move FAS forward" and had cautiously, and skillfully, called upon relevant foundation staffers to confirm their readiness in their continuation to fund FAS under the new leadership.

Stone himself, now working primarily as the President of Catalytic Diplomacy, has been to Asia four times since November. He reports he has "never been more successful in my work." His peace and security activities are currently emphasizing China-Taiwan, Iran and Russia.

Chairman of the Federation of American Scientists Fund, Frank von Hippel, has known Kelly since 1974. Kelly, then on the staff of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, organized OTA's Peer Review of the claim put forward by then-Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger that a Soviet attack on U. S. nuclear missiles and bombers was "thinkable" because it would kill only 15,000 to 25,000 people. Following the OTA Peer Review, the Department of Defense revised its fatality estimate to up to 20 million. Von Hippel "looks forward to having Kelly devoting some of his enormous talents once again to raising the level of the nuclear weapons policy debate," he said.

Asked about his decision to accept the position, Kelly said: "I'm honored and excited by the opportunity to serve as President of the Federation of American Scientists. FAS has a heroic 50 year record of bringing reliable information, clear thinking, and practical agendas for action to public policy debates. The solid foundation established by Jeremy Stone and a superb FAS staff makes me confident that we can continue this mission. I want to build on FAS's solid work in space and arms control and establish programs in a few new areas. One that is of great interest to me personally is using emerging information technologies to make instruction on any subject accessible and affordable to every person on the globe. Since the FAS was founded, the dangers of misused technology have become more subtle while the opportunities have become more spectacular. The need for the organization has never been greater."