With advanced technologies increasingly accessible to groups and individuals, DARPA is initiating a program called "Improv" that's intended to identify and anticipate potential threats from commercially-available off-the-shelf technology.

If you surf the Internet enough, you're bound to come across a story about how an old-fashioned Nokia mobile phone or a simple Casio digital watch still sells in large numbers in some parts of the world despite their being hopelessly obsolete. According to defense analysts, part of the reason for this mysterious popularity, aside from their retro cool, is because they are very good as bomb components for terrorists.

This deadly repurposing illustrates the problem that the United States and other advanced military powers face. The US defense strategy is based on maintaining a technological advantage over potential adversaries, but according to DARPA, off-the-shelf equipment for civilian industries such as transportation, construction, agriculture, and other commercial sectors include a frightening mixture of very advanced technologies that can be turned to nefarious applications.