An Insider’s View Of DARPA, The World’s Most Advanced Research Agency

David Hambling

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, has been dubbed the Pentagon’s ‘department of mad science.’ Set up in response to the Soviet Union’s surprise launch of Sputnik, the first satellite, in 1958, DARPA carries out research and development beyond the cutting edge. The agency has driven such world-changing innovations as the internet, self-driving vehicles and stealth technology, and more recently research into m-RNA-based vaccines and other technologies to fight COVID-19. DARPA is shrouded in secrecy and manages a mass of classified programs, and few outsiders appreciate how it really works. A rare insider's view reveals how the agency transforms far-out ideas into practical technology.