The DARPA Model For Transformative Technologies: Perspectives On The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

511 Pages·2020·6.112 MB·English

by  William Boone Bonvillian, Richard Van Atta, Patrick Windham

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receivers, voice-recogni�on so�ware, self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and,
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This book is a remarkable collec�on of leading academic research on DARPA from a wide
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THE DARPA MODEL
FOR TRANSFORMATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES

The DARPA Model for
Transformative Technologies
Perspectives on the U.S. Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency
Edited by William B. Bonvillian,
Richard Van Atta, and Patrick Windham
https://www.openbookpublishers.com
© 2019 William B. Bonvillian, Richard Van Atta, and Patrick Windham. Copyright of
individual chapters is maintained by the chapters’ authors.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
license (CC BY-NC-ND). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit
the text; to adapt the text and to make commercial use of the text providing attribution is
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of the work). Attribution should include the following information:
William B. Bonvillian, Richard Van Atta, and Patrick Windham (eds.), The DARPA Model
for Transformative Technologies Perspectives on the U.S.: Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2019, https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0184
In order to access detailed and updated information on the license, please visit, https://
doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0184#copyright
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ISBN Paperback: 978-1-78374-791-7
ISBN Hardback: 978-1-78374-792-4
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DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0184
Cover design: Anna Gatti.
Contents
Notes on Contributors xi
Acknowledgements xix
1. Introduction: DARPA—The Innovation Icon 1
Patrick Windham and Richard Van Atta
DARPA’s Historical Mission and Organization 2
DARPA’s Organization and Budget 9
Important Features of the DARPA Model 12
The Remainder of this Book 24
References 25
PART I: PERSPECTIVES ON DARPA 27
2. Fifty Years of Innovation and Discovery 29
Richard Van Atta
The “DARPA Model” 30
DARPA’s Origins: Strategic Challenges ~1958 31
DARPA Roles 37
Key Elements of DARPA’s Success 37
Tension Between DARPA Roles 39
DARPA’s Successes 39
DARPA’s Role in Creating a Revolution in Military Affairs 41
Sustaining the DARPA Vision 42
References 43
vi The DARPA Model for Transformative Technologies
3. NSF and DARPA as Models for Research Funding: An 45
Institutional Analysis
Michael J. Piore, Phech Colatat, and Elisabeth Beck Reynolds
I. Methodology and Research Approach 47
II. Basic Findings 48
III. Interpretation 67
Conclusions 72
References 75
4. The Connected Science Model for Innovation—The 77
DARPA Model
William B. Bonvillian
Introduction: Fundamentals of Defense Technology 77
Development
Innovation Systems at the Personal Level: Great Groups 88
DARPA as a Unique Model—Combining Institutional 93
Connectedness and Great Groups
Elements of the DARPA Model 98
Summary 112
References 113
5. The Value of Vision in Radical Technological Innovation 119
Tamara L. Carleton
The Value of Vision in Radical Technological Innovation 119
Conclusion 135
References 136
6. ARPA Does Windows: The Defense Underpinning of the 145
PC Revolution
Glenn R. Fong
Introduction 145
PARC and HCI 147
Alto’s Offspring 151
The Rest of the Story 158
Xerox’s ARPA Brats 164
Windows on the Future 171
Conclusions 173
References 175
Contents vii
7. Rethinking the Role of the State in Technology 179
Development: DARPA and the Case for Embedded
Network Governance
Erica R. H. Fuchs
1. Introduction 179
2. The Developmental Network State 183
3. The Changing Faces of DARPA 189
4. Methods 198
5. Results and Discussion 200
6.  Discussion: the DARPA Program Manager—Embedded 219
Network Agent
7. Conclusions 222
Acknowledgements 223
References 224
8. DARPA’s Process for Creating New Programs 229
David W. Cheney and Richard Van Atta
Introduction 229
General Framework and Typical Patterns of Program 233
Development
Case Studies of the Development of DARPA Programs 236
Have Blue (Stealth) 237
Assault Breaker (Standoff Precision Strike) 244
Amber/Predator (High Altitude Long Endurance UAVs) 249
Optoelectronics Program 256
High Definition Systems 262
Spintronics (Quantum Computing) 268
Personalized Assistant that Learns (PAL) 272
Topological Data Analysis 276
Revolutionizing Prosthetics 279
Findings, Conclusions, and Key Observations 282
Concluding Thoughts 286
References 287
9. Some Questions about the DARPA Model 289
Patrick Windham
References 297
viii The DARPA Model for Transformative Technologies
PART II: THE ROLE OF DARPA PROGRAM MANAGERS 301
10. DARPA—Enabling Technical Innovation 303
Jinendra Ranka
The Role of DARPA 303
DARPA and Innovation? 304
Developing and Running DARPA Programs 306
Important Questions to Ask 310
Timelines 311
Additional Thoughts on Why DARPA is Needed 312
A Flexible and Supportive Agency 314
11. Program Management at DARPA: A Personal Perspective 315
Larry Jackel
Getting New Programs Approved 316
Soliciting and Reviewing Proposals 316
Managing Programs 317
Independence, Responsibility, and Accomplishments 318
PART III: APPLYING THE DARPA MODEL IN OTHER 321
SITUATIONS
12. Lessons from DARPA for Innovating in Defense Legacy 323
Sectors
William B. Bonvillian
Conclusion: Innovation in the Defense Legacy Sector 354
References 357
13. ARPA-E and DARPA: Applying the DARPA Model to 361
Energy Innovation
William B. Bonvillian and Richard Van Atta
Overview 361
I. The DARPA Model 365
II. ARPA-E—A New R&D Model for the Department of 383
Energy
III. The Remaining Technology Implementation Challenge 409
for DARPA and ARPA-E
IV. Conclusion—Brief Summary of Key Points 426
References 428