DARPA seeks bold, imaginative, innovative officers Published May 8, 2013 By Debbie Gildea Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency needs eight motivated officers for the fiscal 2013 Service Chiefs' Fellows Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced. Application packages for the three-month program, which begins in September, are due to the AFPC officer developmental education branch by May 31, said Master Sgt. Teresa Dixon, the branch's superintendent. "This program is for highly motivated, active-duty officers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities in operational positions and who have clear potential to move into senior operational leadership positions," she said. According to Dixon, the program exposes rising military officers to a unique organization with the mission of rapidly developing imaginative, innovative, and often high-risk research ideas. "The significant technological impact these officers will have goes well beyond the normal evolutionary approach," she said. DARPA Service Chiefs' Fellow Program members provide valuable input into technology development efforts during the program, and continue to serve as liaisons between DARPA and the services after completion, Dixon said. DARPA funds all temporary duty travel, lodging, and per diem during the program. Applicants must be active-duty Air Force officers who are major-selects, majors, lieutenant colonel-selects or lieutenant colonels. In addition they must be considered highly competitive for promotion to the next grade and have a secret-level security clearance. Although participants do not incur an additional active-duty service commitment, volunteers should be willing to continue their active-duty career for at least three years after program completion. For more information about developmental opportunities and other personnel issues, visit myPers at https://mypers.af.mil.