DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military . DARPA has been responsible for funding the development of many technologies which have had a major effect on the world , including computer networking , as well as NLS , which was both the first hypertext system , and an important precursor to the contemporary ubiquitous graphical user interface . DARPA began as the Advanced Research Projects Agency ( ARPA ) created in 1958 by President Dwight D . Eisenhower for the purpose of forming and executing research and development projects to expand the frontiers of technology and science and able to reach far beyond immediate military requirements . The administration was responding to the Soviet launching of Sputnik 1 in 1957 , and ARPA ' s mission was to ensure U . S . military technology be more sophisticated than that of the nation ' s potential enemies . From DARPA ' s own introduction , DARPA ’ s original mission , established in 1958 , was to prevent technological surprise like the launch of Sputnik , which signaled that the Soviets had beaten the U . S . into space . The mission statement has evolved over time . Today , DARPA ’ s mission is still to prevent technological surprise to the US , but also to create technological surprise for our enemies . ARPA , was renamed to " DARPA " ( for Defense ) in March 1972 , then renamed " ARPA " in February 1993 , and then renamed " DARPA " again in March 1996 . DARPA is independent from other more conventional military research and development and reports directly to senior Department of Defense management . DARPA has around 240 personnel ( about 140 technical ) directly managing a $ 2 . 8 billion budget . These figures are " on average " since DARPA focuses on short - term ( two to four year ) projects run by small , purpose - built teams . History . Early history . The creation of DARPA was authorized by President Eisenhower in 1958 for the purpose of forming and executing research and development projects to expand the frontiers of technology and science , and able to reach far beyond immediate military requirements . , the two relevant acts being the Supplemental Military Construction Authorization ( Air Force ) ( Public Law 85 - 325 ) and Department of Defense Directive 5105 . 15 , in February 1958 . Its creation was directly attributed to the launching of Sputnik and to U . S . realization that the Soviet Union had developed the capacity to rapidly exploit military technology . Additionally , the political and defense communities recognized the need for a high - level Department of Defense organization to formulate and execute R & D projects that would expand the frontiers of technology beyond the immediate and specific requirements of the Military Services and their laboratories . In pursuit of this mission , DARPA has developed and transferred technology programs encompassing a wide range of scientific disciplines which address the full spectrum of national security needs . From 1958 to 1965 , ARPA ' s emphasis centered on major national issues , including space , ballistic missile defense , and nuclear test detection . During 1960 , all of its civilian space programs were transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) and the military space programs to the individual Services . This allowed ARPA to concentrate its efforts on the Project Defender ( defense against ballistic missiles ) , Project Vela ( nuclear test detection ) , and Project AGILE ( counterinsurgency R & D ) Programs , and to begin work on computer processing , behavioral sciences , and materials sciences . The DEFENDER and AGILE Programs formed the foundation of DARPA sensor , surveillance , and directed energy R & D , particularly in the study of radar , infrared sensing , and x - ray / gamma ray detection . ARPA at this point ( 1959 ) played an early role in Transit ( also called NavSat ) a predecessor to the Global Positioning System ( GPS ) . " Fast - forward to 1959 when a joint effort between DARPA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory began to fine - tune the early explorers ’ discoveries . TRANSIT , sponsored by the Navy and developed under the leadership of Dr . Richard Kirschner at Johns Hopkins , was the first satellite positioning system . " During the late 1960s , with the transfer of these mature programs to the Services , ARPA redefined its role and concentrated on a diverse set of relatively small , essentially exploratory research programs . The agency was renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ) in 1972 , and during the early 1970s , it emphasized direct energy programs , information processing , and tactical technologies . Concerning information processing , DARPA made great progress , initially through its support of the development of time - sharing ( all modern operating systems rely on concepts invented for the Multics system , developed by a cooperation among Bell Labs , General Electric and MIT , which DARPA supported by funding Project MAC at MIT with an initial two - million - dollar grant ) . DARPA supported the evolution of the ARPANET ( the first wide - area packet switching network ) , Packet Radio Network , Packet Satellite Network and ultimately , the Internet and research in the artificial intelligence fields of speech recognition and signal processing , including parts of Shakey the robot . DARPA also funded the development of the Douglas Engelbart ' s NLS computer system and The Mother of All Demos ; and the Aspen Movie Map , which was probably the first hypermedia system and an important precursor of virtual reality . Later history . The Mansfield Amendment of 1973 expressly limited appropriations for defense research ( through ARPA / DARPA ) to projects with direct military application . Some contend that the amendment devastated American science , since ARPA / DARPA was a major funding source for basic science projects of the time ; the National Science Foundation never made up the difference as expected . The resulting " brain drain " is also credited with boosting the development of the fledgling personal computer industry . Many young computer scientists fled from the universities to startups and private research labs like Xerox PARC . From 1976 to 1981 , DARPA ' s major thrusts were dominated by air , land , sea , and space technology , tactical armor and anti - armor programs , infrared sensing for space - based surveillance , high - energy laser technology for space - based missile defense , antisubmarine warfare , advanced cruise missiles , advanced aircraft , and defense applications of advanced computing . These large - scale technological program demonstrations were joined by integrated circuit research , which resulted in submicrometer electronic technology and electron devices that evolved into the Very Large Scale Integration ( VLSI ) Program and the Congressionally mandated charged particle beam program . Many of the successful programs were transitioned to the Services , such as the foundation technologies in automatic target recognition , space based sensing , propulsion , and materials that were transferred to the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization ( SDIO ) , later known as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization ( BMDO ) , now titled the Missile Defense Agency ( MDA ) . Recent history . During the 1980s , the attention of the Agency was centered on information processing and aircraft - related programs , including the National Aerospace Plane ( NASP ) or Hypersonic Research Program . The Strategic Computing Program enabled DARPA to exploit advanced processing and networking technologies and to rebuild and strengthen relationships with universities after the Vietnam War . In addition , DARPA began to pursue new concepts for small , lightweight satellites ( LIGHTSAT ) and directed new programs regarding defense manufacturing , submarine technology , and armor / anti - armor . On October 28 , 2009 the agency broke ground on a new facility in Arlington , Virginia a few miles from the Pentagon . In fall 2011 , DARPA hosted the 100 - Year Starship Symposium with the aim of getting the public to start thinking seriously about interstellar travel . Organization . Key characteristics . According to former DARPA Director Tony Tether and W . B . Bonvillian ( “ Power Play ” , W . B . Bonvillian , The American Interest , Volume II , p 39 , November – December 2006 ) , DARPA ' s key characteristics to be replicated to reproduce DARPA ' s success are : Current program offices . DARPA has six program offices , all of which report to the DARPA director . A 1991 reorganization created several offices which existed throughout the early 1990s : Reorganization in 2010 merged two offices : Notable fiction . ARPA / DARPA is well known as a high - tech government agency , and as such has many appearances in popular fiction . Some realistic references to ARPA in fiction are in " Tom Swift and the Visitor from Planet X " ( DARPA consults on a technical threat ) , in episodes of television program " The West Wing " ( the ARPA - DARPA distinction ) , the television program " Numb3rs " ( DARPA research into creating the first self - aware computer ) , and in the motion picture " Executive Decision " ( use of a one - of - a - kind experimental prototype in an emergency ) . It is also in the movie " Chain Reaction " , starring Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman . Other references often attribute to DARPA an operational or political role , in addition to its high - tech responsibilities . Examples are the Matthew Reilly books " Temple " and " Hell Island " , the James Rollins Sigma Force book series , and the video game series " Metal Gear Solid " , as well as the video games " Infamous " , " Vanquish " , and " " . DARPA also appears in three novels by Andy McDermott , " The Search for Excalibur " , " The Covenant of Genesis " and " The Empire of Gold " .