DARPA technical accomplishments: an historical review of selected DARPA projects

This is the first volume of a planned two-volume history of selected DARPA projects and programs that were undertaken from the agency's inception to the present day. The purpose is to record, for projects and programs having important outputs and for which adequate and appropriate data could be gathered, the chronological and technical histories in such a way that: (a) the influence of the projects or programs on defense and civilian technology could be traced: and (b) implementation lessons could be extracted that would help DARPA manage future programs in such a way as to enhance their chances of success. This volume describes the genesis of the study, the approach taken in carrying it out, and program histories of 28 DARPA projects. Each history describes the genesis of the project or program, the major participants and events in its lifetime, and contains a flow diagram illustrating the complex of interactions among organizations over time that characterize the project. Each project review ends with observations about the project's success and the nature of its impact. Volume II, will present 27 additional histories, in the same format, and will synthesize the observations about success and influence in such a way that DARPA can apply the results to future program management.