Eco Nanotech CP

1NC Shell
Counterplan Text: The Department of Defense should substantially increase its funding for the
development and implementation of Nanotechnology and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems in
the United States military, navy, and air force.

Investing in the nanotech industry will keep us on the forefront of technological leadership
both at home and in the military
The Industrial College of the Armed Forces 10
Collection of professors affiliated with the US Navy, Air Force, DOD, and Department of State (Spring, “Final Report: Strategic Materials Industry,”
http://www.ndu.edu/icaf/programs/academic/industry/reports/2010/pdf/icaf-is-report-strategic-mat-2010.pdf) SEP

Although many innovation opportunities still exist in the field of information technology, it has now reached a
mature level and is not likely to drive growth as it did in the 1990s and 2000s. The next high growth sectors are
most probably in the “green” energy and transportation business as well as in robotics and nano/bio systems.26 For all these
applications, material technologies will be key. The companies we visited said that they spend significant
amounts of money on R&D (2 to 3% of sales) and that they were leaders in innovation and technology. DoD is
also a major investor in material R&D. The technologies for materials mining, processing, recovery and recycling are still somewhat
immature compared to other scientific areas. Investing additional R&D funds for improved processes will help recover the
US competitive advantage in manufacturing high end materials. However, as it was recently demonstrated for
the rare-earths,27 materials R&D is slowly moving offshore because companies are investing in laboratories
located close to their increasingly delocalized production facilities. The consequence is that U.S. companies have to turn
increasingly to foreign sources to conduct their development of new materials. By the end of 2007, China and India constituted a bit over one-third of
global R&D staffs—and this was an increase of over 10% from just three years prior.28 U.S. federal R&D funding is decreasing. As a matter of fact,
American companies spent three times more on litigation than on research. The United States is in 22nd place in the fraction of
GDP devoted to non-defense research. These trends demonstrate that expertise is leaving the U.S. which will significantly hamper the
ability of domestic companies to remain competitive or relevant in the long-term. Companies also discussed their long term relationships with academia,
with a variable level of satisfaction. Some companies are concerned by the shortage of qualified geologists, metallurgists, and engineers in the U.S.
More U.S. students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are needed to maintain the
material industry. More should be done to promote and retain our brightest minds. This means grooming
future generations by promoting a diverse robust education and training structure.
 2NC Solvency

Nanotech is humanity’s final arms race – the winner wins it all

Marlow 4
(John, Interview on the Superswarm Option Nanotechnology Now, February, http://www.nanotech-now.com/John-Marlow-Superswarm-interview-
Feb04.htm)

As stated in the Nano novel, Marlow's Second Paradox is this: "Nanotechnology must never be developed, because it is too
dangerous a thing to exist; nanotechnology must be developed-because it is too a dangerous a thing to exist in
the hands of others." The first rationale-Bill Joy's relinquishment option-will be ignored. The second will drive the race for nanosuperiority. The
first nanopower will, if it plays its cards right, remain unchallenged for the foreseeable future-assuming there
remains a future to foresee. This is so because it will be possible to use the technology itself to prevent all others
from deploying it, or to simply annihilate all others. In the entire history of the human race, there has never been such a prize for the
taking, and there likely never will be again. We are embarked upon what is quite possibly Mankind's final arms race. Caution may not be a
factor, because the losers in the nanorace will exist only at the whim of the winner, and many will see
themselves as having nothing to lose, and the world to gain. Consider: China holds third place among nations for nanotech patents.
Consider also, from Gannett News Service (February 20, 2000): "Chinese military specialists urge the development of 'magic weapons' that would allow
an 'inferior to defeat a superior enemy.' The report quotes General Pan Jungfeng as calling the United States 'the enemy.' " Draw your own conclusions.
Given this situation, these facts, the occasional incompetence of governments and of militaries in particular, and human nature itself-the earth may well
be doomed. This is the way the world ends.

Nanotech implementation will make our army unstoppable

Arabe 3
(Katrina, New Jersey Institute of Technology, “Self-Healing Coating to Protect and Camouflage Army Vehicles,”
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2003/05/selfhealing_coa.html)

To boost the army's effectiveness and save billions of dollars, researchers are developing smart coatings that
will let military vehicles detect minor damages, self-repair and change colors during battle: A revolutionary
coating under development for the military could soon combine three capabilities never before seen in coatings
technology—the ability to detect scratches and corrosion, to fix such damages on its own, and lastly, to change color to blend in with surroundings.
This innovative, nanotechnology-based coating is being produced for a wide range of military vehicles as well
as weapons systems. A research team at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark has recently inked a contract with the U.S.
Army to develop these smart coatings. Utilizing them, military vehicles will be able to sense if they are corroded or scratched and self-repair. Tanks,
helicopters and military trucks would be able to camouflage themselves on the battlefield, becoming practically
invisible. And protected by these futuristic coatings, explosives could become less sensitive and less dangerous
for soldiers to carry. In fact, Army officials say the smart coatings, whose development is being funded by the
U.S. Department of Defense, could enable the Army to avoid time-consuming repainting and thus deploy with
greater speed, making it an even more formidable force. But for now, there's plenty of work to be done. "We're just getting started,
really," says research team leader Daniel J. Watts, Ph.D., executive director of the York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science and
Panasonic Chair in Sustainability at NJIT. Joining his team are researchers from Clemson University in South Carolina. "Our goal is to extend the period
of time between initial painting application and the need to strip and repaint," he notes.