Page 62 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

II Naval Research and Development

The scientific and military strength of the United States depends
to a large eA1:ent on a successful and comprehensive research pro-
gram. Research and development (R&D) in the Department of
Defense and its military branches is a major effort in terms of per-
sonnel, money, and materials.
All military services conduct various R&D programs in their
areas of responsibility. In recent years, increasing numbers of
these programs have been conducted jointly by the services, as,
for example, the development of the next-generation joint strike
fighter. The U.S. Coast Guard is also an active participant in the
research and development program.

Navy R&D Management
Under the secretary of defense, the secretary of the Navy has pol-
icy control over the Navy R&D organization. Ultimate responsibil-
ity rests with that person. The assistant secretary of the Navy for
research, development, and acquisition is responsible for manage-
ment and control of R&D matters. The top adviser to these two
civilian leaders is the chief of naval research. The chief of naval
research is in charge of the basic research program of the Navy,
coordinating all Navy efforts with the systems commands.
The agencies that ultimately develop and procure the equip-
One of the most technologically advanced ships in the U.S. Navy is
ments and weapons required by the Navy are the various systems
the trimaran design of littoral combat ship such as the LCS 2 shown
commands (air, surface, and space), the Office of Naval Research, here, being built by the General Dynamics Corporation. When com-
and the l\llarine Corps. plete it wi II have a top speed of over 45 knots, a crew of fifty, and
armament consisting of a SAM launcher, 57-mm gun, two minehunt-
ing helicopters, and UAVs.
Office of Naval Research
Follovving "'''orld Vlar II, naval leaders realized that technological The principal source of fundamental scientific knowledge in
and engineering R&D alone were not sufficient to ensure the long- the United States traditionally had been the university research
range technical progress necessary to develop new weapons, equip- laboratory. vVartime experience showed that there was a need for
ment, and materials. The Navy, therefore, embarked on a program a mechanism whereby university scientists could help find answers
in the basic sciences that was to form the technical foundation for to the Navy's most pressing operational problems. The ONR thus
its research and development effort ever since. started what was for a time the largest peacetime research program
In 1946 Congress authorized the formation of the Office of ever supported by a federal agency at educational and nonprofit
Naval Research (ONR) in compliance with an earlier recommen- institutions. This Navy program was an out~tanding example of
dation by Navy secretary James Forrestal. The office was charged effective and beneficial government-sponsored research, and it
with planning and conducting a coordinated research effort continues to this day.
in every field of basic science, in conjunction with the applied Known as the contract research program, this ONR-sponsored
research and engineering development programs of the Navy. activity advances the search for new knowledge in those fields of
science and engineering vital to naval needs and national security.

67