The DARPA Files

The Internet. Stealth. GPS. Driverless cars. mRNA vaccines. They all have a common ancestor.

In 1958, after the shock of Sputnik, President Eisenhower created a small, unusual agency inside the Pentagon. It had no laboratories and a staff of only a few hundred. Its mission was simple: never let America be surprised by technology again.

It became DARPA, and it changed the world.

The DARPA Files tells the story of 100 programs that transformed war and technology. Some became household names. Others stayed in the shadows. Inside you'll discover:

• How a crashed login on the ARPANET in 1969 sent the first message of the internet age
• How a faceted "Hopeless Diamond" became the F-117 stealth fighter
• How a desert race in 2004 that no robot finished launched the self-driving car industry
• How brain-controlled robotic arms let paralyzed patients feel touch again
• How early bets on mRNA and rapid antibodies helped fight COVID-19
• How hypersonic gliders, drone swarms, laser weapons and AI fighter pilots are shaping the next war
• The truth, and the legends, behind the rumored Aurora and Blackstar programs

The book covers the Cold War through the age of artificial intelligence and quantum computing. It explains how a "high risk, high reward" culture produced world-changing breakthroughs along with spectacular failures. It also examines the hard ethical questions these programs raise, from autonomous weapons to gene editing.

Each chapter opens with a quick-reference Program Snapshot, and the book closes with a timeline, a glossary and a guide to further reading. It is a lively, accessible history for anyone curious about military history, technology, national security, or where tomorrow's breakthroughs come from.

Robert F. Geissler is the founder of Think Tank Media LLC and the author of nonfiction on economics, history, technology and geopolitics. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Rowan University and is a retired lieutenant with more than 25 years in law enforcement.