[my answer]
Yes,the most devastating weapons during the Cold War were nuclear weapons, and many engineers would invest a lot of effort in developing nuclear weapons or technologies that could destroy nuclear weapons, limiting the scope of engineer R&D.
[my partner's answer]
Yes. The US want to keep their dominant position in the world, so they will put restrictions to their competitors, like Russia and China. Technology will be separated by regions because engineers are not allowed to share their knowledge.
[my reflection]
Yes. If the country doesn’t want to be defeated by powerful countries, it must strengthen R&D in technology.