The Office of Naval Research (ONR) updated its strategic plan this week and put a new emphasis on developing more cost-effective unmanned and autonomous systems in response to the budget constraints sweeping Washington.
The biannual Science and Technology Strategic Plan also calls for greater focus on investment strategy, speed-to-fleet, and taking steps to increase the future talent pool for naval scientists and engineers.
The combination of increased threats to the warfighter and the rapid advances in computing, power, robotics, sensors and position guidance technologies drives “the requirement to augment expensive manned systems with less expensive, unmanned fully autonomous systems that can operate in all required domains,” the document said.
The goal is to have unmanned and autonomous systems that can operate in all environments over a wide area and engage in multiple missions to counter multiple threats, it said.
“Central to achieving that vision is the development of a distributed system of heterogeneous unmanned systems relying on network-centric, decentralized control that is flexible in its level of autonomy with the ability to get the right level of information to the right echelon at the right time,” the plan said.
“This may include defeating asymmetric and emerging threats via persistent and stealthy distributed, large area presence; stimulation of suspect entities; and disruption and deception of potential hostiles,” the document said.
ONR said it simplified the strategic review from the last one two years ago to renew focus on the organization’s core competencies of mid-to long-term science and technology investments.
“The revision updates our S&T focus areas, aligns investment priorities with higher guidance and provides a more balanced approach to our S&T portfolio,” Walter Jones, ONR’s executive director, said.
The purpose of the strategic plan is to outline the allocation of ONR’s $1.9-billion budget and the efforts to focus on basic research to sustain innovation. The plan is updated in part to ensure ONR’s objectives are aligned with the Navy’s future needs.
“This strategic plan provides a blueprint for our S&T community to move forward rapidly with game-changing ideas in areas where the need is greatest,” Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said.
The document was the last to be publicly released under the leadership of Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, who left the post yesterday to retire after a 34-year career. He was succeeded by Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder. Klunder, who became the 24th chief of naval research, had been serving as the director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance.