JASON (advisory group)

JASON is an independent group of elite scientists that advises the United States government on matters of science and technology, mostly of a sensitive nature.^[1] The group was created in the aftermath of the Sputnik launch as a way to reinvigorate the idea of having the nation's preeminent scientists help the government with defense problems, similar to the way that scientists helped in World War II but with a new and younger generation. It was established in 1960 and has somewhere between 30 and 60 members.^[2] Its work first gained public notoriety as the source of the Vietnam War's McNamara Line electronic barrier. Although most of its research is military-focused, JASON also produced early work on the science of global warming and acid rain.^[3] Current unclassified research interests include health informatics, cyberwarfare, and renewable energy.^[4]