The Venture Edge

DARPA -- the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- is well known for its technology innovations. Founded in 1958 as America’s response to the Soviet Union’s launching of the Sputnik satellite, DARPA invented the Internet (no, it wasn't Al Gore), the stealth technology used in fighter aircraft, high-energy laser technology for space-based missile defense, and much, much more. DARPA’s mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent technological surprise from harming our national security by sponsoring revolutionary, high-payoff research bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their military use.

While many in our nation bemoan the loss of manufacturing plants and capacity to lower-cost countries -- the losses of jobs and tax base are understandably traumatic to the affected communities and the people who live within them -- the United States is increasingly depending on innovation to lead the way. We are becoming a nation of knowledge workers -- farming out or outsourcing or licensing cutting-edge technologies to manufacturers overseas. It is important that instead of throwing government money after the rapidly disappearing manufacturing base, and instead to invest it wisely in innovation -- the seeds of our future.