Company Profile
The Institute for Defense Analyses
Company Overview
The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a not-for-profit organization that operates three think tanks supporting federal decision making -- two serving the Department of Defense and one serving the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. The IDA Centers provide objective analyses of national security issues, particularly those requiring scientific and technical expertise, and conduct related research on other national challenges. IDA offers a competitive salary, an excellent benefits package and a superior professional working environment. IDA’s main facility is located in a modern office complex, directly off an interstate highway, minutes from the Pentagon. To the right individual, IDA offers the opportunity to have a major impact on key national programs while working on fascinating technical issues. Individuals selected for employment at IDA are subject to a security investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. U. S. citizenship is required. The Institute for Defense Analyses is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit IDA's website: www.ida.org for more information and to submit resume's and applications.
Company History
More than 50 Years of Analytic Excellence
IDA traces its roots to 1947, when Secretary of Defense James Forrestal established the Weapons Systems Evaluation Group (WSEG) to provide technical analyses of weapons systems and programs. In the mid-1950s, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff asked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to form a civilian, nonprofit research institute. The Institute would operate under the auspices of a university consortium to attract highly qualified scientists to assist WSEG in addressing the nation's most challenging security problems.
Over the years, IDA has modified its structure to remain responsive to sponsor needs. In 1958, at the request of the Secretary of Defense, IDA established a division to support the newly created Advanced Research Projects Agency. Shortly thereafter, the mandate of this division was broadened to include scientific and technical studies for all offices of the Director of Defense, Research and Engineering. Subsequent divisions were established under what became IDA's primary research center - the Studies and Analyses Center - to provide cost analyses, computer software and engineering, strategy and force assessments, and operational test and evaluation. We created the Simulation Center in the early 1990s to focus on advanced distributed simulation, and most recently, established the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program to develop new operational concepts. IDA further broadened its scope to provide support to the National Security Agency under a new research center - the Centers for Communications and Computing - and, more recently in 2003, by assuming responsibility for what has become our third research center - the Science and Technology Policy Institute - which supports the Office of Science and Technology Policy for the Executive Office of the President.
Throughout its history, IDA also has assisted other federal agencies. Recent work includes research performed in support of the Department of Homeland Security, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of National Intelligence, and others.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Major research program areas include:
Development of methods and models for estimating the costs to develop, test, procure, operate, and support defense forces and system.
Evaluations of defense systems that support decisions on acquisition and program planning, and involve assessments of military utility, system performance, and the risks and costs of technological integration at all stages of development and deployment, including test and evaluation.
Broad assessments of new operational concepts, current and future mission needs, system architectures, and system interoperability.Development of technology strategies, plans, standards, and investment priorities in the application of new technologies.
Assessments of the domestic and international implications of trade and technology cooperation, plans, and controls.
Development, demonstration, and application of advanced simulation capabilities and the use of modeling and simulation to examine advanced warfighting concepts.