E
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflicts of Interest

The conflict-of-interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (https://www.nationalacademies.org/about/institutionalpolicies-and-procedures/conflict-of-interest-policies-and-procedures) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee like the one that authored this Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted only if the National Academies determine that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed.

When the committee that authored this report was established, a determination of whether there was a conflict of interest was made for each committee member given the individual’s circumstances and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination that an individual has a conflict of interest is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

Dr. Paul Kaminski has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on Air Force Advanced Battle Management System because of his current affiliation with or financial interests in defense sector companies that may pursue or have contracts in support of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), including General Dynamics, The Boeing Company, and Raytheon.

Hon. Katharina McFarland has a conflict of interest in relation to her service on the Committee on Air Force Advanced Battle Management System because of her current service on the Board of Directors of the Science Applications Interna-

tional Corporation and Raytheon, which may have or pursue contracts in support of the ABMS.

In each case, the National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of the individuals were needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it was established. The National Academies could not find other available individuals with the equivalent experience and expertise who did not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict was unavoidable and publicly disclosed it on its website (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/advanced-battle-management-system-consensus-study).

This page intentionally left blank.