Adaptive Capabilities Office

Working closely with our nation’s military services, the Adaptive Capabilities Office (ACO) helps program managers turn ideas into impact and transition new technologies into viable tools.

ACO connects program managers and DOD personnel to enhance their knowledge and understanding of DARPA and its role in addressing high-priority national security needs. We use advanced simulation and modeling opportunities to test the potential of breakthrough technologies.

Bridging gaps  

Our program managers are experts in their research fields, but many lack direct understanding of the battlefield and warfighter experience. ACO bridges that gap by taking program managers out of the laboratory to participate in training missions with active military units.

ACO also helps coordinate the Service Chiefs Fellowship program, which brings field-grade officers to DARPA to collaborate with program managers, providing the battlefield leader’s perspective to inform our work.  

Simulations and modeling

Using modeling, simulation, and experimentation, our team helps program managers vet novel concepts and technologies and assess their impact in battlefield settings. With these advanced capabilities, ACO enables a level of operational analysis that cannot be achieved in the lab.

Turning ideas into impact

Through this unique approach, ACO establishes a path for transitioning ideas into impactful solutions that advance national security and warfighter operations.