DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the central research and development organization for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DARPA was the birthplace of ARPA-Net, the precursor of the Internet. Other projects include the B-2 stealth bomber and the predator drone. Conceived to maintain the technological supremacy of the U.S. military though the development of "blue sky" advanced technologies, the agency is mandated to ensure that the U.S. military maintains "a lead in applying state-of-the-art technology for military capabilities" and "prevent technological surprise from adversaries."