Navy's Research Office Faces Reforms Amid Calls for Modernization

For nearly eight decades, the US Navy has benefited from technological superiority, scientific depth, and operational excellence. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is evolving to better align research with acquisition priorities and accelerate technology transition. This change may strengthen ONR’s legacy while enhancing its agility, as long as it preserves early research and development focus. The new leadership has an opportunity to renew ONR’s culture of collaboration and draw on the Navy’s technical workforce, academia, and private sector energy.