ABSTRACT
An increasingly popular subject of discussion is what has come to be known as the technology transfer problem. Any meaningful discussion of this subject must begin with a clear understanding of the terms 'technology' and 'national security'. It is a curious circumstance that many current discussions of government control of technology exports tend to treat any technology as important to national security if, in some way, it contributes to the economic, political or social well-being of the United States. Such a view overlooks the fact that the necessary link between technology and national security is the production of military weapons systems. In the context of national security, it is technology which the Soviets do not yet have and we do not want them to acquire. Soviet weapons development philosophy and practice are different from that of the US They tend to emphasize simplicity and quantity; the US stresses sophistication and high quality.
