DARPA NASA JPL AFRL DMEA Sandia

Defense Advanced Research & Projects Agency

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense (DoD). It manages and directs selected basic and applied research and development projects for DoD, and pursues research and technology where risk and payoff are both very high and where success may provide dramatic advances for traditional military roles and missions.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA's mission is stated as: to understand and protect our home planet, to explore the Universe and search for life, and to inspire the next generation of explorers.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is NASA's lead center for robotic exploration of the solar system. Our spacecraft have visited all the planets in our solar system except Pluto. JPL telescopes are observing distant galaxies in the universe to study how our solar system was formed. We also manage the worldwide Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft and conducts scientific investigations from its complexes in California's Mojave Desert near Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. JPL cameras and sensors are aboard satellites circling Earth to study the ozone, oceans and other Earth sciences. To support our continued exploration, JPL is making advances in technology with new instruments and computer programs to help our spaceships travel further and our telescopes see farther than ever before.

Air Force Research Laboratory

The AFRL mission is "Leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air and space force." The AFRL vision is "We defend America by unleashing the power of innovative aerospace technology."

Defense MicroElectronics Activity

The DMEA is established by the Department of Defense to provide a broad spectrum of microelectronics services to DoD. The DMEA, located in Sacramento California, is under the authority, direction and control of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness.

The mission of the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) is to leverage the capabilities and payoffs of advanced technologies to solve operational problems in weapon systems, increase operational capabilities, reduce operation and support (O&S) costs, and reduce the effects of diminishing manufacturing sources (DMS). We assist system managers by applying both available leading-edge technologies and innovative applied research and development (R&D) approaches to develop solutions to current problems. We translate microelectronics research technologies into solutions and evaluate their feasibility to address both current and impending microelectronics technology challenges.

The DMEA is also the Executive Agent for DOD Integrated Circuit (IC) Microelectronics Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS). Microelectronics obsolescence is now the main factor driving DOD system degradation. The DOD increasingly relies on the use of "smart" weapons systems. The components that make these systems smart are the complex microelectronics devices that form the core of their functional capability. However, microelectronics technologies are extremely dynamic and generally become obsolete about every 18 months. Microelectronics obsolescence is a horizontal, technology-based issue rather than a vertical one, since systems throughout the entire DOD use the same or similar microelectronics devices. When a device becomes obsolete, every system using that device has a problem. As it is true of the problem, the solution must have the ability to cut across the many systems throughout the entire DOD As the Executive Agent, we evaluate the entire spectrum of microelectronics for current and future obsolescence issues, evaluate the feasibility of potential solutions, recommend solutions at all complexity levels, provide guidance, and recommend policy and procedure changes.

The DMEA gives government organizations streamlined access to state-of-the-art technologies and engineering expertise. We use a unique and innovative methodology to reverse engineer microelectronic devices, analyze solution sets, and then build and test the prototype solution. The DMEA strategy offers a comprehensive mix of problem solutions through a unique and synergistic combination of government expertise and leading prime contractors through the DMEA's Advanced Technology Support Program II (ATSP2) contract.

Sandia National Laboratory

Through science and technology, people, infrastructure, and partnerships, Sandia's mission is to meet national needs in four key areas:

Nuclear weapons - ensuring the stockpile is safe, secure, reliable, and can support the United States' deterrence policy
Nonproliferation and materials control - reducing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the threat of nuclear accidents, and the potential for damage to the environment
Energy and critical infrastructure - enhancing the surety of energy and other critical infrastructures
Emerging threats - addressing new threats to national security

Sandia is a government-owned/contractor operated (GOCO) facility. Lockheed Martin manages Sandia for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. We seek collaborative partnerships on emerging technologies that support our mission.