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Sword, Shield and Buoys: A History of the NATO Sub-Committee on Oceanographic Research, 1959-19731 Sword, Shield and Buoys: A History of the NATO Sub-Committee on Oceanographic Research, 1959-1973.

Authors :
Turchetti, Simone
Source :
Centaurus: Journal of the European Society for the History of Science. Aug2012, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p205-231. 27p. 3 Maps.
Publication Year :
2012

Abstract

In the late 1950s the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) made a major effort to fund collaborative research between its member states. One of the first initiatives following the establishment of the alliance's Science Committee was the creation of a sub-group devoted to marine science: the Sub-committee on Oceanographic Research.This paper explores the history of this organization, charts its trajectory over the 13 years of its existence, and considers its activities in light of NATO's naval defence strategies. In particular it shows how the alliance's naval commands played a key role in the sub-committee's creation due to the importance of oceanographic research in the tracking of enemy submarines. The essay also scrutinizes the reasons behind the committee's dissolution, with a special focus on the changing landscape of scientific collaboration at NATO. The committee's fall maps onto a more profound shift in the alliance's research agenda, including the re-organization of defence research and the rise of environmentalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00088994
Volume :
54
Issue :
3
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Centaurus: Journal of the European Society for the History of Science
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
78911601
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0498.2012.00258.x