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ARLINGTON, Va. — Natalie B. Steinhauser of the Office of Naval Research has been named a 2026 Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award recipient for leading the Navy’s Distributed Open Ocean Mission Rehearsal program, a training initiative designed to prepare deployed ships to practice complex missions together at sea.
The Department of the Navy cited Steinhauser’s leadership and technical work on DOOMR, which moves integrated “train as you fight” mission practice from shore-based facilities to forward-deployed units. As program officer, she steered the effort from concept through a three-year Technical Candidate Program, culminating in a prototype that lets multiple ships synchronize and rehearse missions across live, virtual and constructive environments.
“I worked closely with my teams, which included the Navy lab participants listed on the award, as well as industry contractors and other performers, to conduct the analysis and build the software tools needed to begin addressing the needs for conducting mission rehearsal at sea via Live, Virtual and Constructive [LVC] methodologies,” said Steinhauser.
The DOOMR architecture is intended to let crews trial tactics, techniques and procedures with other elements of a strike group, blending live platforms with simulators and computer-generated forces. Navy officials view such at-sea rehearsals as a way to tighten coordination among deployed units and accelerate readiness ahead of real-world operations.
“Mission rehearsal is key to warfighter readiness,” said Steinhauser. “The more the fleet is able to rehearse in a realistic and integrated manner, the more lethal and dominant they will be. When the fleet gets to the fight, they will have practiced and be most capable of achieving their mission in an effective and efficient manner.”
To speed adoption, Steinhauser organized frequent reviews and demonstrations and expanded outreach to the Navy’s LVC community, including a recent update at the PMS 205 LVC Consortium to explore additional uses for the technology.
The Etter Awards, named for former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology Delores M. Etter, are presented annually and are among the Navy’s most prominent honors for contributions to national security by civilian and military scientists and engineers.
“I am honored to be named a 2026 Dr. Delores M. Etter award winner with my team,” said Steinhauser. “The team and I worked very hard to provide new training capabilities to the fleet that we truly believe will give them advantages in the fight. We do the hard work for the fleet, but it is extra motivating and uplifting to be recognized with this award and to take some time out to celebrate our accomplishments.”
ONR and its supporting command, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, earned multiple individual and team recognitions this year, accounting for more than 10 percent of the awards across the Department of the Navy. A formal ceremony honoring the recipients was held at the Pentagon Auditorium on July 29, 2026.
