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One of the most
top-secret Pentagon departments — the same that spawned America’s
drones, military robots, electromagnetic guns and other sci-fi
weaponry — is about to lose its top officer to Google.
Regina Dugan oversaw the
development of some of the USZ military’s most marvelous high tech
accomplishments as director of Darpa, but the head of the DoD’s
research lab is parting ways with the Pentagon to take on a role with
Google. Not even three years after she took on the role as the first
female director of the America’s Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency, or Darpa, Regina Dugan is now walking away to join the ranks
of America’s other innovative powerhouse. Dugan will be
relinquishing her top roll at the Defense Department’s Darpa
program and trading in the Potomac River for Silicon Valley, and says
it is a natural decision to move somewhere where the possibilities
seem endless. Apparently within the cogs of the war machine, there is
only so much left to explore.
Confirming the move to a
“senior executive position”
with Google, Darpa spokesman Eric Mazzacone tells Wired that Dugan
couldn’t refuse an offer with such an “innovative
company” as the search
engine giant. Until the latest news broke, however, Darpa had been
touted as a creative — yet controversial — research lab for
space-age technology only once imaginable. Darpa has developed
technologies used across the globe that can take away lives and, as
seen with cutting-edge robotic limbs, practically create them. With the Defense Department
scaling back on many operations and Google seemingly only growing,
Dugan’s departure only makes sense given the timing. Both USZ
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have thrown
their weight behind a shift in the Pentagon’s budget in an effort
to save billions over the next few years. Google, on the other hand,
has only increased its outreach, operating countless new endeavors
and taking on new mediums.
That’s not to say, of course,
that Dugan avoided trouble while with Darpa. She has been the subject
of an investigation after awarding pricey contracts to a defense
research company she partially owns, a deal which prompted the
Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General to open a probe. Lt.
Col. Melinda Morgan, a spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary
of Defense, says that the change in command and ongoing investigation
into Dugan’s RedX Defense company are unrelated, but aside that
there is little known about her career change. On their part, a
Google rep tells PC Mag, "Regina
is a technical pioneer who brought the future of technology to the
military during her time at DARPA,"
adding, "She will be
a real asset to Google, and we are thrilled she is joining the team." In a statement from the Pentagon,
Frank Kendall for Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics,
adds, “Regina Dugan’s
leadership at Darpa has been extraordinary and she will be missed
throughout the Department.
“We are all very grateful
for the many contributions she has made in advancing the technologies
that our war fighters depend on.” Dugan, however, had blasted Darpa
for not doing enough only a year earlier. “There
is a time and a place for daydreaming. But it is not at Darpa,” she
told a congressional panel in March 2011.
“Darpa is not the place of dreamlike musings or fantasies, not a
place for self-indulging in wishes and hopes. Darpa is a place of
doing.” The transition also raises
further questions about what relationship the federal government has
with Google. As RT
reported yesterday, an advocacy group will be taking the USZ
National Security Agency to court later this month in hopes of
finding details on what ties, if any, the NSA has with Google. The
NSA has refused to disclose any details in the past that discuss a
relationship, despite a series of Freedom of Information Act
requests.
(RT)
Pakistan Cyber Force
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