[The speaker may individualize this speech by noting the particular group or area, or calling attention to honored guests, dignitaries, etc. Otherwise, the text may be presented as is.]

Do you think about military innovation when you walk into an air-conditioned room on a summer day? What about when you're cooking with non-stick cookware? Or jetting to some far-off place. Or checking the time on your digital watch. I'd say not very likely.

However, military research and innovation are the very heart of these discoveries. Intertwined with national security and defense applications are civilian benefits that have become commonplace in our daily lives.

The past 50 years have been a technological "golden era." And there are many examples of the technological advances of the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s: I've already mentioned air conditioning, jet airplanes and digital technology. However military research has also contributed to advances in medicine, communications, and even crime-fighting. We've also had an explosion in technological advancement in the areas of modern electronics, television and computers.

The fallout from this explosion is a new global environment. Only a few years ago, could you imagine the world as it is today? One that is shrinking to such a degree, it almost seems daily? People connect on the information superhighway and the world is at their fingertips, in seconds, not days or hours- and to be more precise, the connectivity can occur in nano-seconds, which is less than a second.

Whether we embrace the latest gadgetry or want to turn back the hands on the clock -- we must acknowledge that the intrinsic link of technological development and world history. Often times, ideas have evolved as a result of war, and those who master certain technologies have been victorious.

For example, during the Second World War, Adolf Hitler's advisers were telling him that the atomic bomb was not feasible, so he never gave it a priority. Even while this was going on in Germany, some Washington policymakers were also failing to understand the importance of the new nuclear technology that was being developed. It took a personal letter to President Roosevelt from Albert Einstein to convince the president to launch a super secret crash program called the Manhattan Project to develop this atomic bomb.

Then Roosevelt gave the project his full attention. The world could be very different today if either leader had gotten different advice from his scientists.

This change in history demonstrates the critical relationship between leaders and scientists. Our leaders are dependent upon scientists when it comes to making decisions that involve technology. But it also shows that scientists do not always agree, and they're not always accurate in foreseeing the consequences of the recommendation.

High technology during the Cold War was viewed as a cure for both our national security and economic ills. It provided a decisive advantage over our Soviet adversary. Our country flourished in this boom. Education focused on the creation of new ideas. As quickly as a new idea was created, it was turned into an application. The country embarked on an exciting journey -- the one into space, and a man walked in space and on the moon. Our aircraft flew higher, faster and were more lethal than ever before, and the Air Force recruited bright engineers and scientists to work on the leading edge of technology.

In the late '70s, the defense budget proposed research and development projects that seemed ahead of their time. A group in Congress argued that the high-tech systems would be too complex, too expensive and too hard to operate or repair in the field, and that they would fail once you got them out on the field and subjected to the stress of war.

Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry has said, " If this group in Congress had had its way, we would not have developed the so-called reconnaissance strike force, which is a combination of stealth aircraft, smart weapons and smart battlefield sensors which were a key to our outstanding military success in the Gulf War. Also, we would not have the Global Positioning System [known as GPS], which uses satellites and radio systems to tell combat units where they are at any given moment."

Recently we've heard a lot more about GPS. It was the key to being able to find and rescue Capt. Scott O'Grady [the pilot shot down in Bosnia June 2 and rescued June 8]. Captain O'Grady had a little GPS receiver on his wrist and his rescuers had another receiver on their helicopters. Consequently, they landed within yards of him, and the total time on the ground was less than two minutes. They didn't have to waste precious time searching for him, luckily, because they met ground fire as they were flying out of Bosnia.

Locating downed pilots [and aircrews] is only one example of a defense application for the Global Positioning System; among its other applications is the capability of guiding smart bombs and pinpointing forward air controllers' coordinates. The GPS, a set of 24 satellites, has exceeded expectations of its original military function and has become the foundation of an entirely new civilian industry. It is one of the best examples of technology transfer and illiustrates how U.S. defense dollars pay significant dividends in civilian industry. Civilian GPS sales were $400 million in 1991, by 1997 they are expected to top $6 billion annually.

GPS civilian applications are as diverse as vehicle navigation, construction, disaster management or tracking stolen cars. This year many companies are manufacturing hand-held GPS receivers for hikers, skiers or outdoors adventurers to tap into the GPS to help them pinpoint their location.

Dual-use technology -- that is, technology that meets both defense and commercial needs -- is a force multiplier of our defense dollars. With "dual-use" technology, the military is not the sole supporter of a unique industrial base -- it requires that Air Force needs integrate with broader economic considerations. We're finding that our military technological progress is increasingly being driven by the commercial sector. Having industry share costs in developing programs assures technology that meets both military and commercial needs.

Another advantage to dual-use technology is the impact of government action on increasing economic growth and creating jobs. That is, when the Air Force buys commercial products or supports dual-use technology, the Air Force is strengthening the private sector.

In the past the Air Force relied on the unique defense industrial base and on specialized high technology that had application to defense problems. Today Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall is calling for greater reliance on commercial goods and services to meet defense needs. Her actions signal recognition of a changed economic environment.

There is no better example of this than computers. Computers in weapons systems tend to be several generations old because the commercial market is moving so quickly. You are demanding more from the computer, telling the manufacturer: make it faster, smaller, perform more functions at once. The commercial sector is responding to your wishes.

The Air Force also looks into the future by expanding its industry-partnership relationships into space and other areas. Today, technology transfers from Air Force labs have skyrocketed from 45 to 200 in two years. In the world marketplace, the U.S. dominates aviation, and the reason is the relationship between military and commercial aviation. The Air Force plays an important economic role by promoting a partnership with the aviation industry. This partnership has flourished from the time the Wright Brothers demonstrated their flying machine to military representatives.

Other Air Force technology transfers include:

-- FOREWARN, a motion sensing device developed by Wright Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for military radar. This system is now installed on school buses to audibly and visibly alert bus drivers of children who may be in their blind spot.

-- A breakthrough in solar cells and batteries from Phillips Lab at Kirtland AFB, N.M. that convert light directly into electricity.

-- The Beam Tech Thermal Dosimetry system, developed by Armstrong Laboratory at Brooks AFB, Texas, permits the study the effects of microwave and ultra-sound emitting devices, such as cellular phones, and has applications which improve the treatment of cancer.

-- An electronic probe, developed by a Wright Laboratory consortium, that can pinpoint when it's time to change the oil -- jet engine oil, car oil or cooking oil. The Air Force uses the RULER (remaining useful life evaluation routine) instrument to measure the useful life of gas turbine engine oils used in military aircraft. It assesses what's left of the antioxidant, an additive that keeps oil from degrading too fast. The commercialization of this product into two joint ventures for quick lube shops and fast food restaurants is another excellent example of military-developed technology to industry.

-- A simulator is being developed to allow doctors to practice surgical techniques and gain confidence, before they treat people. In the system, called the Preceptor, the doctor uses actual laparoscopes and surgical instruments to perform minimally invasive surgery on an artificial life-sized torso. The doctor can see and feel what he is doing on a monitor, as in a real operation. The Air Force uses similiar simulator technology to train fighter pilots to deal with various conditions. Partners are the Air Force and corporations in both surgical equipment and aviation simulation.

-- The first solid state coherent laser, developed at Wright Laboratory, is being used by the Federal Aviation Administration to make commercial flights safer. The laser detects and measures turbulent weather conditions such as wind shears.

One of the Air Force's newest ventures combines dual-use technology and space. The strategy for Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is a long-term lease with Western Commercial Space Center, allowing for the development of a commercial "spaceport." This new activity at Vandenberg builds on the foundation of Air Force-commercial cooperation that exists on the East Coast, at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., and Cape Canaveral, as well. If new commercial space ventures had to duplicate these expensive launch infrastructures, it is unlikely they would be able to compete in the world space market.

California Spaceport supports many initiatives; the international competitiveness of the American space industry, the creation of high tech jobs and the leveraging of state, federal and industry dollars. California Spaceport will be a significant dual-use and defense conversion project for the next century. This is how the Air Force is helping bolster U.S. economic progress.

Another venture announced recently is a joint undertaking with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Air Force to develop magnetic levitation technologies for use in missile defense warhead testing and high-speed ground transportation. Magnetic levitation (maglev) technology uses magnetic forces to levitate the vehicle and to attract or repel for propulsion, for suspension and for guidance.

Maglev trains, with the ability to travel at speeds faster than 250 mph, have a real potential to relieve congestion among our nation's overcrowded highways and airways. A maglev passenger train, as an example, could travel from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Francisco in 1 hour and 30 minutes -- today, it takes nearly 10 hours traveling by traditional rail service.

This partnership is another excellent example of the commitment to develop projects that will yield maximum benefits, with both military and civilian applications.

Fifty years ago, the Air Force of today was formed with the help of a collaborative effort of research teams gathering scientists, government officials and military leaders together. Today, the Air Force is joining another collaborative effort of research teams, pooling the best available resources of industry, government and academia to set the course for the future.

We're jointly solving common problems and moving ahead. Future technologies loom on the horizon, and your Air Force is ready.