Warfighter Sustainment Applied Research

Advanced Naval Materials efforts support several Science and Technology (S&T) Focus Areas, including Materials/Electronics, Manufacturing, Naval Engineering and Power and Energy, and perform research across a broad spectrum of technical areas. Beginning in FY 2026, Research Areas have been identified for the Focus Areas within the S&T budget. These new Research Areas aim to better align the efforts in the Focus Area to allow visibility into the specific challenges and the approaches to alleviate those challenges. The research areas include the following: Manufacturing Technology, Sustainment Technology, Resilient Naval System Technologies, Power & Energy Technologies and Operational Endurance & Climate Resilience Applied Research.

The overall objective of this activity is to sustain, extend, enhance, and repair warfighter endurance, resiliency and readiness while operating in multi-domain and expeditionary environments. This Activity includes two program areas: medical and human performance research. Efforts categorized as Human Performance Technologies focus on research before injury. Efforts categorized as Medical Technologies focus on research after injury. The human performance portion of this applied research activity centers on: improving performance of divers and submarine crews; developing biological markers of stress response; protecting warfighter performance and preventing injuries during exposure to high levels of acoustic or electromagnetic energy; and wearable physiological sensors to support safety and survivability of Naval forces during training and in operational environments. Results from these efforts will enhance readiness and lethality and will inform operational safety guidelines. The medical portion of this applied research activity addresses naval-unique threats and centers on: protecting warfighters from operational health threats; developing diagnostic and treatment capabilities for use in operational environments; and prototyping new capabilities to recover injured warfighters. Results from these efforts will improve the Fleet's ability to save lives, especially during prolonged field care.

Applied research to enhance the ability to develop Naval forces from time of recruitment through separation from the military capable of competing and succeeding against novel threats and using novel, rapidly-fielded, technologies. This includes use of modern approaches for evaluation of knowledge, skills, and aptitude in school houses, field training, and point-of-need. Improved effectiveness is achieved by applying psychometric theory, data science, cognitive science, operations research, modeling and simulation, and computer sciences to the development, delivery, evaluation, and execution of training and education. Emphasis is on approaches that are robust at scale and can be implemented in a resource-constrained environment.

The mission of Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is to serve as the preeminent external facilitator for the Naval Research Enterprise. Providing direct support to the OPERATIONAL Fleet / Force with our planning, fostering, and encouraging scientific research to discover technology that will make a difference for our Sailors and Marines. This is accomplished by establishing quality, relevant connections between the research and development communities around the globe, Naval Fleet/Forces, DOD, other US Government agencies and key allies and partners. Science Advisors (SA) This effort embeds scientists and engineers on to the Operational Fleet/Forces Staff with the dedicated purpose to identify, translate and advance Fleet Force Science and Technology (S&T) needs and requirements for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Research Enterprise (NRE), and the Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE). These individuals work to align opportunities for shaping capability development and technology experimentation for the benefit of the current and future Fleet and Force. Science Advisors (SA) work across the NRE to help shape the DON investment in science and technology, develop teaming relationships to rapidly prototype, experiment, demonstrate and transition technology, supports development of technology-based capability options for Naval forces, and enables warfighting innovations based on technical and conceptual possibilities. The SA Program also informs capability-based war games using current and future technology to identify future capability strengths and shortfalls that assist in shaping the DON investment strategy. The ONR Global SA Program enables continuous communication and collaboration between the warfighters, the Naval Research & Development Enterprise, and strategic development commands. Through their deep understanding of operational needs and a vast collaborative network within the NRE, NR&DE, industry, and academia, ONR Global Science Advisors connect S&T to operational needs and directly support transition of capabilities that deliver desired solutions for Navy and Marine Corps warfighters. International Science Utilizes a cadre of PhD-level civilian and military scientists to actively search the globe for emerging scientific research and promising technologies that can be invested in with the goal of solving DON S&T challenges. This investment builds global S&T awareness to reduce the risk of potential technological surprise and supports theater security cooperation goals to sustain cooperative relationships with an expanding set of international allies and partners. These efforts are accomplished by collaborating with organizations and researchers through liaison/ exchange visits, conferences and workshops, and grants in innovative applied research. Through their deep understanding of Navy S&T needs and a vast collaborative network of researchers around the global within the NRE, NR&DE, industry, and academia, Science Directors are able to identify research areas and early developmental technologies that may evolve to have a significant capability solution for Navy and Marine Corps warfighters. International engagement Strong alliance and partner relationships are crucial to the United States' ability to address global challenges. ONR Global works with key allies and partners to identify common requirements and areas of work that can be leveraged to improve the capabilities of Sailors and Marines. By engaging, developing, and maintaining bilateral and multilateral relationships, international agreements, and other activities that promote RDT&E collaboration and interoperability we are working to identify allies and partners will support efforts in the Indo-Pacific theater. The team continues to support the strengthening of trans-Atlantic collaborative efforts in science and technology with a goal of developing technology solutions that will increase joint capability and Fleet/Force interoperability.

The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects is codified in the Department of Defense (DoD) as part 219 of title 32, Code of Federal Regulations (also known and hereinafter referred to as the "Common Rule"). DoD Instruction 3216.02 establishes policy and assigns responsibilities for the protection of human subjects in DoD-supported programs to implement the Common Rule and requires Heads of DoD Components to establish and oversee DoD Component policies and procedures that ensure compliance with federal and DoD requirements. The Secretary of the Navy Instruction (SECNAVINST) 3900.39E CH-1 identifies the Chief of Naval Research as providing support and expertise for human research protection in research conducted or supported by the Navy and Marine Corps Systems Commands and institutions, operational forces, training Commands, and Department of the Navy (DON)-supported research involving human subjects performed by non-DoD institutions. The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) protects the rights, safety, and welfare of human subjects in research conducted or sponsored by the Navy and Marine Corps by: 1) ensuring that research involving human subjects complies with federal regulations, DoD Directives, DON Instructions, and Marine Corps Orders governing research protection requirements; and 2) providing education and training programs in human research ethics to all levels of staff involved in the review, approval, conduct, management, or support of DON human subjects research (HSR).

Operational and tactical level decision-making requires making time-critical decisions with imperfect information. This activity seeks to understand how warfighters make decisions despite uncertainty, and research practical strategies for managing information for Naval warfighter decision-making. These applied research efforts will improve mixed social-technical systems design, system interface designs and human-level decision support in Naval contexts. Research areas include the development of techniques to enhance warfighter performance in managing human-machine teaming and decision-making.

Applied research to develop knowledge and technologies for future Naval capabilities. Research areas include: bioinspired and biomimetic materials; synthetic biology for environmental surveillance and materiel production; bioenergy harvesting and electronics; warfighter augmentation and resilience; and marine mammal health. This research provides secure and agile options to enhance performance, increase novel power and energy solutions to safely extend operational duration, and improve stealth, maneuverability, and mission capability of platforms and autonomous systems.