At ONR anniversary, naval leaders say the impact is personal, not theoretical

Arlington, Va. — Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao used personal reflections from his time as a Navy diver and explosive ordnance disposal officer to underscore the life-or-death stakes of naval innovation at a July 31 Pentagon event marking the Office of Naval Research’s 80th anniversary. “While many of ONR’s discoveries shaped the wider world, other less well-known breakthroughs transformed the daily lives of our Sailors and Marines on the front lines,” he said. “Having served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, my perspective is that what ONR does isn’t theoretical — it’s personal.” He added, “For eight decades, ONR has stood at the vanguard of naval power,” and, “You’re the operational engine that transforms science fiction into tactical reality on the high seas.”

The ceremony, held in the Pentagon Auditorium, celebrated eight decades of scientific and technological advances for the Navy and Marine Corps and looked ahead to future integrated naval power. More than 20 ONR technology exhibits lined the Pentagon’s second-floor Apex along the 9th and 10th corridors.

Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley outlined ONR’s new 2026 Science and Technology Strategy, which calls for a fundamental shift in how the command prioritizes, develops and fields technology. She also announced the CNR Fellows program, launching this year to bring newly tenured professors to ONR for a one-year term to learn naval priorities and provide technical oversight and cutting-edge expertise. “Every time I come to the Pentagon, I think about a poster here that has a George Washington quote from 1780,” said Riley. “It says, ‘There’s nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy.’ It speaks to the broader importance of ONR’s mission — to ensure that every U.S. Sailor and Marine, every platform within the Joint Force, is equipped with the latest and greatest technology.”

Other speakers included Adm. James Kilby, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Dr. Joseph S. Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology; and author and strategist Dr. Peter W. Singer.

“For 80 years, the Office of Naval Research has shaped the way we fight,” said Kilby. “Long before a ship is commissioned or a capability reaches the fleet, someone had to imagine that was possible. For 80 years, that has been ONR’s mission — to look beyond today’s requirements and prepare for tomorrow’s fight.”

Jewell, who earlier in his career received an ONR Young Investigator Program award while a university professor, thanked the command for sustaining his hypersonics research. “The innovations taking place through ONR are truly mission-driven, and support the warfighters of today and tomorrow,” he said. “The mission of ONR is paramount to our nation’s economic and national security.”

Singer traced ONR’s influence across five enduring “lineages” of capability since its establishment in 1946:
– Unmanned systems, robotics and autonomy
– Sensor improvement and integration
– PNT, C5ISR and battlespace awareness
– Ocean science, acoustics and undersea warfare
– Troop protection, materials and human performance

“In 1946, ONR started with six basic branches, including physics, fluid mechanics, aviation and physiology,” said Singer. “From that structure, ONR has [expanded] into areas that now extend from cyber to autonomy to directed energy. Entire departments are named after words that didn’t even exist in 1946. That shows an organization evolving and changing the very lexicon of human scientific and military capability.”