The U.S. leadership in high technology may be threatened

Source: Main Science and Technology Indicators (MSTI): 2010/1 edition, OECD

Note that the United States ranks quite low among OECD nations in terms of the portion of GDP devoted to research and development in the private sector. While the United States ranks high in military R&D, that may well not yield as much benefit in terms of quality of life, economic growth, and international competitiveness.