Advanced Technological Breakthroughs- DARPA 2015

A cursory glance at the report reveals that DARPA’s mission is to make investments in advanced technologies in order to achieve national security. Its core responsibility is to ensure that the United States is not at a disadvantage due to strategic technological surprises from adversaries. A case in point would be the development of advanced fifth generation or 5G technology by the Chinese telecom giant Huawei. This has drawn a lot of security concerns among developed industrial nations as they perceive a dual-use role for 5G technology. Meanwhile, the report also lists the geopolitical and technical challenges that might possibly hinder the current US global superiority or hegemony. On the technological front, DARPA perceives that economic growth has rendered the increasing availability of sophisticated components and systems. It correlates increasing economic growth with more accessibility and affordability of such systems, thereby displacing the United States traditional strategic technological advantage. It also acknowledges the ability of social media, which by its ubiquity can exponentially expand the contours of a conflict. The Arab spring of 2011, which has since toppled three entrenched governments in North Africa was possible only due to the rapid dissemination of information by social media. Meanwhile, the growth of synthetic biology and bio-technology like gene-splicing has raised the spectre of bio-terrorism which could lead to mass casualties at a fraction of the cost of developing nuclear weapons. On the geo-political front, the report clearly mentions a shift in threat sources from state to non-state actors. This underscores an important need to change the focus of current security assessments which are state-centric to non-traditional threats like conflict induced migration, decentralised terror groups etc. Moreover, demographic, religious and cultural shifts are prone to make states vulnerable to violence.

DARPA’s 2015 investment portfolio has been primarily channelled into four focus areas. These are: development of complex military systems, managing information explosion or ‘big data’, harnessing biotechnology and expanding technological frontiers. While the agency has a sanctioned annual budget of approximately $3 billion, bulk of its investments are focussed on developing military applications. In its pursuit of developing military systems, DARPA is focussed on achieving systems modularity and ensure faster hardware/software upgrades for its existing military weapons systems. This is important as it significantly reduces the downtime in deploying such systems in contingencies. Moreover, it also seeks to improve its communication and navigation capabilities. As part of its air-superiority program, it seeks to develop airframes with greater range and payload capability. DARPA also aims to enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities by embedding it with improved communications and sensor systems. DARPA’s Upward Falling Payloads (UFP), however, deserves special mention. It involves deploying unmanned systems which could lie dormant on the deep ocean floor bed for many years. This comes amidst the backdrop of increasing territorial claims by rival powers (read China) on the oceans. Moreover, its Distributed Agile Submarine Hunting (DASH) program aims to develop a network of underwater satellites that map the oceanic surfaces and detect stealth submarines. Together, UFP and DASH seeks to ensure undisputed US control of the high seas.

DARPA’s portfolio of managing ‘big data’ is an interesting read. While advanced computing has enabled the crunching of massive quantities of data to predict, it also presents the challenge of differentiating critical data points from the unnecessary ones. On the latter front DARPA seeks to develop algorithms which could automatically sift through large quantities of data and identify threats emanating from systems, groups and individuals. It has also developed a cyber-genome program which aims to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) led machine learning to automatically detect malware that could compromise critical systems. DARPA’s third focus area of harnessing bio-technology offers promising prospects. Its Electrical Prescription or ‘ElectRx’ program aims to develop ultraminiaturised Nano devices that could give real-time feedback on bodily health parameters. If the ElectRx program were to be extended, it could also lead to the development of neural interfaces that could bridge memory gaps and stimuli.

DARPA also seeks to expand its technological frontiers by investing in path breaking basic science research. It involves exploring the field of deep mathematics in order to complement its ambitious AI program. It also emphasised on advanced material science research to develop new chemical processes and products that would serve a tactical advantage in military operations. A case in point would be the famous May 2011 raid that neutralised Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. US Navy SEALS were able to penetrate deep into Pakistani airspace almost undetected on account of a radar absorbing coating on its Black Hawk helicopters.

From the aforementioned accounts it is clear that DARPA’s current focus areas are on military, bio-technology, big data and advanced science applications. A perusal of DARPA’s previous reports reveal that it has been able to implement almost all its plans in a time bound manner. This naturally leads to the question of how DARPA has been able to consistently meet its objectives in the past six decades. The key to DARPA’s success lies in its organisational structure and working style. The various programs under DARPA are headed by a program manager with a tenure of 3-5 years. These program managers in turn report to DARPA’s Director and Deputy Directors. One can witness a Venture Capital like working culture in its organisational matrix. Program managers are required to illustrate a projects technical feasibility within a short span of three years failing which the project is scrapped or kept under abeyance until the appropriate technologies develop. This has resulted in a constant churn in new innovations and organisational efficiency. Moreover, it has a flexible approach in transitioning towards a new technology. This approach involves a combination of direct induction into the military or attracting Private Equity capital to bring down the costs of production. These technologies are in turn spearheaded by a dedicated Adaptive executive office. This has made DARPA into a nimble and efficient organisation capable of putting the United States at the forefront in confronting national security challenges.

-Gopikrishnan K