Breaking the yardstick: the dangers of market-based governance

America became a superpower, in part, because of a well-balanced technological partnership between the Federal Government and commercial sector; and a key element of this partnership has been Department of Defense (DOD) laboratories -- Yet, in recent years, the private sector has been increasingly tasked to carry out the labs' functions on the belief that free market forces were more efficient and effective. This article examines how the loss of in-house scientific and engineering expertise impairs good governance, poses risks to national security, and sustains what President Dwight Eisenhower called "a disastrous rise of misplaced power.". Figures. Adapted from the source document.