"It fits the pattern of the revolving door that we see at the Department of Defense," he told PCWorld.

He explained that Dugan worked for DARPA in the 1990s, returned to the private sector and formed RedX, came back to head DARPA, and is now in the private sector again. "That's something we see quite a bit in the Pentagon, but it's a problem with all the federal agencies," he said.

In addition to being credited with creating the Internet, night vision goggles, and GPS, DARPA has a reputation for research that borders on science fiction, a reputation that Dugan tried to tone down during her tenure at the agency by investing more money in projects aimed to meet the more immediate needs of the military.

Nevertheless, it is far-out projects like , and that keeps the agency in the public's eye.

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