Although the DARPA organizational chart looks formal, the Agency is really a fluid organization. Offices are created and disbanded as appropriate in order to keep DARPA’s organization forward-looking, relevant, and responsive to new opportunities.
DARPA has found physically collocating experts with similar or complementary interests leads to the generation of entrepreneurial ideas. The office directors recruit outstanding program managers and develop the office synergy, while keeping the program managers broadly on track with the office theme.
There are two basic types of technical offices at DARPA: technology offices and systems offices.
Technology Offices
The technology offices focus on new capabilities and component technologies that might have significant national security applications. These offices are the Defense Sciences Office and Microsystems Technology Office.
Systems Offices
The systems offices focus on solutions to military problems and technology programs leading to products that more closely resemble a specific military end-product; i.e., an item that might eventually be in the military inventory. These offices are the Tactical Technology Office and Strategic Technology Office.
As a practical matter, a fair amount of overlap exists between the two types of offices; the work in the technology offices often shapes the work of the systems offices, and vice versa. And one office, Information Processing Techniques Office, covers the continuum from research to prototyping of military systems.
Staff Offices
In addition to the technical offices, DARPA has staff offices supporting overall agency operations:
- Office of Management Operations, which includes facilities, technical resources, public release of DARPA information, and security
- Comptroller
- Contracts Management, providing DARPA's in-house contracting capabilities
- Human Resources
- General Counsel
