NDEP Seeks to Nourish Science and Engineering Careers The National Defense Education Program's purpose is to foster a new generation of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists who will one day discover and problem solve in the nation's defense laboratories. With nearly 13,000 scientists and engineers expected to retire during the next decade, this national security effort is aimed at preserving American core competence in critical disciplines and maintaining U.S. technological superiority into the future.   "The technological superiority that we enjoy today is something we inherited from those who invested in research and education in the '60s and '70s, and it is something we now owe our children and our children’s children."