The MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security.

He asked the United States Air Force if MIT could first conduct a study to evaluate the need for a new laboratory and to determine its scope.

[5] The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Air Defense System is the beginning of MIT Lincoln Laboratory's history of developing innovative technology.

SAGE was designed to collect, analyze, and finally relay data from a multitude of radars, all quickly enough that defense responses could be initiated, if needed.

Jay Wright Forrester, an MIT professor instrumental in the development of the Whirlwind, found the breakthrough to enable the computer to achieve outstanding reliability and doubled speed — the magnetic-core memory.

Whirlwind II was not completed, but the AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, based on elements of its design, became the command and control system for the SAGE air defense network[7][8] and Lincoln Laboratory Division 6 participated in this development.

Many of the technical developments that later evolved into improved systems for the airborne detection and tracking of aircraft and ground vehicles have formed the basis for current research.

[10] Lincoln Laboratory conducts research and development pertinent to national security on behalf of the military services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and other government agencies.

Program activities extend from fundamental investigations, through simulation and analysis, to design and field testing of prototype systems.

[29] Ongoing research collaborations, student internship programs, reciprocal seminar series, and cooperative community and educational outreach projects are just a few of the ways the laboratory and the campus share the talents, facilities, and resources of each other.

Approximately 1300 people working in the service departments or as technical specialists support the research and development mission of the laboratory.

Programs that promote education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for students in grades kindergarten to high school are offered to the local community and are supported by volunteers from across the laboratory.

Lincoln Laboratory serves as the scientific advisor to the Reagan Test Site[34] at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll installation located about 2500 miles WSW of Hawaii.

The ETS is operated by the laboratory for the Air Force; its principal mission is the development, evaluation, and transfer of advanced electro-optical space surveillance technologies.