DARPA Leadership

DARPA today released Breakthrough Technologies for National Security, a biennial report summarizing the Agency’s historical mission, current and evolving focus areas and recent transitions of DARPA-developed technologies to the military Services and other sectors. The report’s release coincided with testimony by DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar before the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, at a hearing entitled “Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2016 Science and Technology Programs: Laying the Groundwork to Maintain Technological Superiority.”

Arati Prabhakar, Ph.D., is director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Serving in this position since July 2012, she has focused the agency’s efforts on rethinking complex military systems in fundamental ways; harnessing the information explosion to address national security challenges; and planting new seeds of technological surprise in fields as diverse as mathematics, synthetic biology, and neurotechnology.

Dr. Brian Pierce is the Deputy Director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O). This is Dr. Pierce’s second tour at the agency, having served as the deputy office director of the Strategic Technology Office from 2005 to 2010.

Dr. Ralph Sandfry provides strategic and management support to the DARPA Director and Deputy Director. He assesses the technical merits and risks of proposed and current projects and provides advice on technology strategies. He also guides, supervises and coordinates the Agency’s planning and operations.

Dr. Steven H. Walker is a member of the Senior Executive Service and currently serves as the deputy director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Immediately prior to this, he held the position of director of the Tactical Technology Office (TTO) at DARPA.