The Disruptive Technology Office (DTO) was a funding agency within the United States Intelligence Community. It was previously known as the Advanced Research and Development Activity (ARDA). In December 2007, DTO was folded into the newly created IARPA.

ARDA was created in 1998 after the model of DARPA by the Director of Central Intelligence and the Department of Defense, and took responsibility for funding some of DARPA's projects. ARDA evaluates proposals and funds speculative research, particularly in the fields of data mining, video processing, and quantum computing.

There has been speculation that the DTO is continuing research efforts started under the Total Information Awareness program (TIA) in DARPA's Information Awareness Office (IAO). Data-mining activities within the US Department of Defense are controversial and have met with public and congressional disapproval.

Although ARDA's budget is presumably classified as part of the intelligence budget, the New York Times quoted an unnamed former government official saying the agency spent about $100 million a year in 2003. The Associated Press reports that ARDA had a staff of only eight in 2004.

Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, site of the headquarters of the National Security Agency, ARDA/DTO has kept a low profile, quietly funding research of interest to the intelligence community. A move to a research park near the University of Maryland, College Park was announced at about the same time as the consolidation into IARPA.

See also

Sources

  • Lanyon, B.P.; et al. (PDF). Brisbane, Australia: Centre for Quantum Computer Technology and Department of Physics, University of Queensland. Archived from (PDF) on 20 July 2008. {{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Work on cracking public-key encryption using a quantum computer. "This work was supported in part by … US Disruptive Technologies Office … ". American Physical Society, Physical Review Letters, 21 December 2001
  • Markoff, John. ", The New York Times, 21 May 2003.
  • Jackson, William. GCN.com. 12 January 2004
  • Sniffen, Miachel J. " Associated Press 22 February 2004.
  • Sniffen, Miachel J. " Associated Press. 23 February 2004.
  • Sniffen, Miachel J. " Associated Press 15 March 2005.
  • Regan, Tom. "" Christian Science Monitor. 24 February 2006.
  • Harris, Shane. "" National Journal. 23 February 2006.

External links

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