Ground Broken on New DARPA Site in Arlington

Arlington, VA -- Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, joined industry and government officials Wednesday to usher in the relocation of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The groundbreaking ceremony represented the culmination of a four year struggle to keep the cutting-edge defense technology center from being relocated onto a military base pursuant to the 2005 BRAC decision. The endeavor was spearheaded by Moran and members in the Virginia delegation including former Senator John Warner, Senator Mark Warner, Governor Kaine and numerous state and local Arlington County officials.

“Arlington County understood the implications of losing DARPA,” said Congressman Moran, who serves as a senior appropriator on the House Defense Appropriations Committee. “From day one, when the original BRAC decision was announced, we teamed up to save the hundreds of jobs and millions in combined economic activity associated with this cutting-edge agency,” Moran said.  “Due to this victory, Arlington will continue to be driven economically by the greatest minds in the world.”

The new DARPA facility will be located at the Founders Square office complex, located just a few blocks from its current headquarters on Fairfax Drive in Arlington. The facility had to be relocated to office space that met the new anti-terrorism building security standards, which include a mandatory setback from the road of at least 82 feet. DARPA is the agency credited with inventing the internet, stealth technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, and many other inventions with applications for the military and civilian sector.

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