The Department of Defense (Defense Department, USDOD, DOD, DoD or the Pentagon) is the executive department of the government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government concerned directly with national security and the United States Armed Forces. The Department is also the largest employer in the world, with more than 2.13 million active duty soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and civilian workers, and over 1.1 million National Guardsmen and members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Reserves. The grand total is just over 3.2 million servicemen, servicewomen, and civilians. The Department – headed by the Secretary of Defense – has three subordinate military departments: the U.S. Department of the Army, the U.S. Department of the Navy, and the U.S. Department of the Air Force which oversee the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Air Force. In addition, four national intelligence services are subordinate to DOD – the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Other Defense Agencies include Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), all of which are under the command of the Secretary of Defense. DOD’s military operations are managed by nine regional or functional Unified Combatant Commands. DOD also operates several joint services schools, including the National Defense University (NDU) and the National War College (NWC). The Department is allocated the highest level of budgetary resources among all Federal agencies, and this amounts to more than one-half of the annual Federal discretionary budget.
The University of Arkansas works hard to ensure a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes plenty of personal attention and mentoring opportunities. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the university as having “the highest possible level of research,” placing us among the top 3 percent of colleges and universities nationwide.
Founded in 1871 as a land-grant institution, the University of Arkansas is the flagship of the University of Arkansas System. Our 27,000 students represent all 50 states and more than 120 countries. The U of A has 10 colleges and schools offering more than 210 academic programs. The University of Arkansas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) is dedicated to elevating a fundamental belief: Research Matters. Operating as a public-private partnership, ARA invests in research that stimulates innovation, encourages collaboration, and strengthens economic opportunity.
When ARA launched in 2008, it was through an imagined future for our state that was full of promise and teeming with opportunities for economic development, tech-based innovation, and advancement. Today, that promise is alive and well, and job-creating research is recognized as a vital pathway to progress. ARA continues its evolution from an aspirational organization to one that is delivering real impact for Arkansas. We’re proud to foster collaboration between industry, government and academia, and have expanded our research partnerships with universities and other public and private entities to generate value for the people and businesses of our state. At a time when federal research dollars are shrinking, ARA is stepping up efforts.