The Pentagon's Brain

From the bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario.

Discover the untold story of America’s most powerful military science agency.

In this first-ever history of the Defense Department’s most secret, most powerful and most controversial military science R&D agency, Sunday Times bestselling author Annie Jacobsen draws on inside sources, exclusive interviews, private documents, and declassified memos to demystify DARPA, ‘the Pentagon’s brain’.

Since its Cold War inception in 1958, DARPA’s innovations have shaped the modern world – from its role in the development of the Internet and GPS to stealth technology. Yet, the agency’s cutting-edge projects remain cloaked in secrecy, often outpacing public domain advancements by decades. In this groundbreaking account, Jacobsen uncovers DARPA’s hidden history, triumphs and controversies, exploring its role in pioneering technologies that redefine warfare and society as it questions the wisdom of allowing DARPA to determine what lies ahead.

Author Biography

Annie Jacobsen is the bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. A 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, her other books include Area 51, Operation Paperclip and Surprise, Kill, Vanish, and have been translated into 26 languages. She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons.