‘DARPA’s DARPA’ Director Discusses Quantum Technology & ‘Pivotal Technology’ in Podcast

(NextGov) The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency works to maintain the country’s technological edge. This podcast is with Dr. Valerie Browning, the Director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office. Dr. Browning whose PhD is in physics, manages some of the agency’s most forward-looking efforts. The office, which she refers to as “DARPA’s DARPA,” oversees a sprawling portfolio of research projects aimed at laying the foundation for major technological breakthroughs in the decades ahead. The agency’s early work paved the way for the internet, GPS and self-driving cars, and today Browning and her team are constantly “looking over the horizon” for the tech that will shape tomorrow’s military and society at large.
A big focus at for Dr. Browning’s division at DARPA is what we can expect from quantum computing and what we can do.
The emphasis is integral to DARPAs mission to make early pivotal investments for national security and prevent technology surprises such as Russia’s Sputnik. She described “pivotal technology–that creates surprise technology or prevent surprises to the US”.
“We are very informed by the threat landscape in time we are operating,” explained Dr. Browning.