The chief of naval research is the senior military officer in charge of scientific research in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. The chief of naval research has a rank of rear admiral, and is in charge of the
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...
.
The chief of naval research has responsibility for
basic research
Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenome ...
,
applied research
Applied science is the application of the scientific method and scientific knowledge to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines, such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted with basic science, ...
, and advanced technology development components of the Navy's
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...
programs (the first three of the seven categories used in the Department of Defense research and development budget, often referred to as 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3, respectively), as well as the Navy's
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
policy. The chief of naval research also coordinates with other research and development agencies within the Department of the Navy, such as the Naval Warfare Centers of the Naval
Systems Commands.
Other positions in the Office of Naval Research leadership include the vice chief of naval research (a one-star Marine Corps brigadier general), the assistant chief of naval research and commanding officer of ONR Global (both captains), and the executive director and assistant vice chief of naval research (both civilians). The chief of naval research reports directly to the civilian
assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition, and is thus not organizationally subordinate to the
chief of naval operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
, the senior military officer in the entire Navy.
History
The predecessor to the Office of Naval Research was the Office of the Coordinator of Research and Development, an institution within the Navy during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
meant to coordinate between the military-wide
Office of Scientific Research and Development
The Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) was an agency of the United States federal government created to coordinate scientific research for military purposes during World War II. Arrangements were made for its creation during May ...
(OSRD),
Navy materiel bureaus, and civilian research organizations. The organization was formed in 1941 and was nicknamed the "Bird Dogs" due to their skill at finding and solving interorganizational problems.
Jerome Clarke Hunsaker was interim chief, followed by Rear Admiral
Julius A. Furer. OSRD was disbanded after the war, and the Office of the Coordinator of Research and Development was incorporated into the new Navy Office of Research and Inventions, headed by Harold Bowen, which became the Office of Naval Research in 1946.
List of chiefs of naval research
* 1st:
Harold G. Bowen Sr. (1946–1947)
* 2nd:
Paul F. Lee (1947–1949)
* 3rd:
Thorvald A. Solberg (1949–1951)
* 4th:
Calvin Matthews Bolster (1951–1953)
* 5th:
Frederick R. Furth (1953–1956)
* 6th:
Rawson Bennett II (1956–1961)
* 7th:
Leonidas Dixon Coates, Jr. (1961–1964)
* 8th:
John Leydon
John Leydon (17 January 1895 – 2 August 1979) was an Irish civil servant, who served in a number of significant roles in ministerial departments and was involved in the setting up and development of a number of semi-state organisations such ...
(1964–1968)
* 9th:
Thomas Barron Owen (1968–1970)
* 10th:
Carl O. Holmquist (1970–1973)
* 11th:
M. Dick Van Orden (1973–1975)
* 12th:
Robert Keith Geiger (1975–1978)
* 13th:
Albert Baciocco (1978–1981)
* 14th:
L. S. Kollmorgen (1981–1983)
* 15th:
Brad Mooney (1983–1987)
* 16th:
John R. Wilson, Jr. (1987–1990)
* 17th:
William C. Miller (1991–1993)
* 18th:
Marc Y. E. Pelaez (1993–1996)
* 19th:
Paul G. Gaffney II (1996–2000)
* 20th:
Jay M. Cohen (2000–2006)
* 21st:
William E. Landay III (2006–2008)
* 22nd:
Nevin P. Carr, Jr. (2008–2011)
* 23rd:
Matthew L. Klunder (2011–2014)
[
* 24th: Mathias W. Winter (2014–2016)]
References
{{reflist
Flag appointments of the United States Navy
Military science