Office of Naval Research

Office of Naval Research

The headquarters of the Office of Naval Research inBallston, Virginiain 2022
Abbreviation	ONR
Formation	August 1, 1946(1946-08-01)
Headquarters	Ballston, Virginia,U.S.
Locations	ONR Global: Santiago Sao Paulo London Prague Singapore Tokyo
Coordinates	38.8808°N 77.1086°W/38.8808; -77.1086
Secretary General	U.S. Secretary of the Navy
Chief of Naval Research	Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus
Parent organization	United States Department of the Navy
Subsidiaries	United States Naval Research Laboratory
Website	www.onr.navy.mil

TheOffice of Naval Research(ONR) is an organization within theUnited States Department of the Navyresponsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy andMarine Corps.Established byCongressin 1946, its mission is to plan, foster, and encourage scientific research to maintain future naval power and preserve national security. It carries this out through funding and collaboration with schools, universities, government laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations, and overseeing theNaval Research Laboratory,the corporate research laboratory for the Navy and Marine Corps. NRL conducts a broad program of scientific research, technology and advanced development.

ONR's headquarters is in theBallstonneighborhood ofArlington County, Virginia.ONR Global has offices overseas inSantiago,Sao Paulo,London,Prague,Singapore,andTokyo.

Overview

The ONR was authorized by an Act of Congress, Public Law 588, and subsequently approved by PresidentHarry S. Trumanon August 1, 1946. Its stated mission is "planning, fostering, and encouraging scientific research in recognition of its paramount importance as related to the maintenance of future naval power and the preservation of national security."

The ONR carries this out through funding with grants and contracts scientists and engineers who perform basic research, technology development, and advanced technology demonstrations.

ONR's Science and Technology Portfolio is allocated as follows: "10% Quick Reaction & Other S&T, 30% Acquisition Enablers, 10% Leap Ahead Innovations, 40% Discovery & Invention (Basic and Applied Science), 10% Other."

Organization

ONR reports to theU.S. Secretary of the Navythrough theAssistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.TheChief of Naval ResearchisRear AdmiralKurt Rothenhaus and the Vice Chief of Naval Research isBrigadier GeneralKyle B Ellison, United States Marine Corps, who also serves as Director ofUnited States Marine Corps Futures Directorateand Commanding General of theUnited States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

ONR executes its mission through science and technology departments, corporate programs, theNaval Research Laboratory(NRL), and the ONR Global office.

Science and Technology Departments

ONR has six science and technology departments that support a broad range of subjects, which span such efforts as combating terrorism, oceanography, sea warfare, and life sciences. These fund basic research programs, primarily through U.S. universities; technology research programs, primarily through government and nongovernment laboratories; and advanced technology demonstration programs, primarily through U.S. industry and companies.

Additionally, ONR has an Office of Transition that supports technology transitions to the Navy and Marine Corps; a Small Business Innovative Research Office that encourages small businesses to develop and commercialize products in support of ONR’s mission; a Future Naval Capabilities Program that works to provide technologies to close warfighting gaps; and a Corporate Programs Office that supports cross-disciplinary research and education programs. As of February, 2020, ONR oversees NavalX, the US Navy Agility Cell founded by James “Hondo” Geurts in 2018.

ONR staffer discusses paid internship opportunities with a visitor to the Department of the Navy Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) Program exhibit.

ONR Corporate Programs: Research & Education

ONR supports many corporate research and education programs, including:

• Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP)
• Multidisciplinary Research Program of the URI (MURI)
• Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) of the URI
• DoD Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCOR)
• Young Investigator Program
• DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program of the URI
• Summer Faculty Research Program
• Faculty Sabbatical Leave Program
• Naval High School Science Awards Program
• HBCU(Historically Black Colleges/Universities) Future Engineering Faculty Fellowship Program
• HBCU/Minority Institutions Program
• Science andEngineering ApprenticeProgram (SEAP) (Run by ONR, funded by the American Society for Engineering Education)
• Science, Mathematics, And Research For Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Program

Naval Research Laboratory

Main article:Naval Research Laboratory

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) was founded in 1923 and employed over 2,500 scientists and engineers as of 2017.NRL is the corporate research laboratory for the Navy and Marine Corps and conducts a broad program of scientific research, technology and advanced development. It has a prestigious history, including the development of the first U.S.radarsystem,synthetic lubricants(for moderngas turbineengines),over-the-horizon radar,the first U.S.surveillance satellite,and theClementine space mission.A few of the Laboratory's current specialties includeplasma physics,space physics,materials science,andtactical electronic warfare.

ONR Global

ONR Global regional offices are located in:

• RAF Blenheim Crescent,London, U.K. (Europe)
• Santiago, Chile (Latin America)
• Tokyo, Japan (Asia/Pacific)
• Australia (Asia/Pacific)
• Singapore (South Asia/Singapore)
• Prague, Czech Republic (Europe)

ONR Global is a supporter of theGlobal Security Challengeat theLondon Business School.

Research

Sea Fighter(FSF-1), August 2005

ONR's investments have enabled many firsts, including the launch of the first U.S. intel satellite; the development ofSEALABI/II; the validation of the GPS concept and launch of the first GPS satellite; the first global atmospheric prediction model;GWOTsupport through various quick response programs; and, most recently, the electromagneticrailgun,theInfantry Immersive Trainer,and super-conducting motors.Others include:

• Combat Tactical Vehicle (Technology Demonstrator)
• ULTRA AP
• Shadow RST-V
• Sea Fighter
• Quiet Electric Drive
• R/P FLIP
• CALDIC(California Digital Computer) – from 1951 to 1955
• Biomimetic anti-fouling ship coatings
• Ocean thermal energy conversion(OTEC or OTE)
• Large Vessel Interface Lift-on/Lift-off

The ONR has also sponsored symposia such as theSymposium on Principles of Self-OrganizationatAllerton Parkin 1960.

ONR projects and programs

Tomahawk TLAMmissile launching

• BGM-109 Tomahawk
• Infantry Immersion Trainer
• Interactive Scenario Builder(Tactical Environmental Simulation)
• High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
• HMMWV replacement process
• Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet
• SIMDIS

Alleged

• Philadelphia Experiment:Said to have been conducted in 1943, three years prior to the establishment of ONR.

See also

Related organizations and agencies

• United States Naval Research Laboratory
• Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory
• Naval Research Advisory Committee
• United States Army Research Laboratory
• Air Force Research Laboratory
• Fleet Electronic Warfare Center (FEWC)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System
• List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy

External links

• Office of Naval Research HomepageArchived3 May 2021 at theWayback Machine
• Naval Research Laboratory Homepage