The Department of Mad Scientists

Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), originally called ARPA was founded in 1958 by President Eisenhower in response to Soviet's Sputnik program which was the first man-made satellite to reach space in 1956.

 DARPA’s mission is “to prevent and create strategic surprise.” The United States was surprised and shaken by the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik. It was a wake-up call to the reality that the Soviet Union could launch intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit anywhere in the United States. In response, President Eisenhower created two organizations to develop breakthrough technologies, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and ARPA. While NASA had the mission of winning the space race, ARPA had a more fundamental mission of investing in high-risk, high-reward technologies so the United States would never again be surprised by a competitor. Arguably, it has the most consistent record of radical invention in history. Its innovations include the internet; RISC computing; global positioning satellites; stealth technology; unmanned aerial vehicles, or “drones”; and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Its programs last, on average, only three to five years. About 100 temporary technical program managers and teams drawn from universities, labs, government partners, and nonprofits—do the project work. The support staff comprises 120 people in finance, contracting, HR, security, and legal. The annual budget for the roughly 200 programs that are under way at any given time is about $3 billion. With its unconventional approach, speed, and effectiveness, DARPA has created a “special forces” model of innovation. To achieve its mission, DARPA has a unique culture and organization distinct from the rest of the military-industrial complex.

DARPA only invests in projects that are “DARPA hard,” challenging technology problems that others might deem impossible. Sometimes, these bets don’t pan out. DARPA has a mantra of “fail fast” so that if projects fail, they do so before investing massive resources. DARPA is organized in 6 departments focusing on different technology areas: biology, information science, microelectronics, basic sciences, strategic technologies and tactical technologies. CODE, FLA, LRASM, and Sea Hunter fall into DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office (TTO), TTO is the division that builds experimental vehicles, ships, airplanes and spacecraft. Other projects include XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane and the Vulture program to build an ultra-long endurance drone that can stay in the air for 5years without refueling.

 

Mad science, indeed.

Reference: 

1. “ARMY OF NONE; Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War” by PAUL SCHARRE. 

2. “Special Forces” Innovation: How DARPA Attacks Problems by Regina E. Dugan and Kaigham J. Gabriel