ARLINGTON, Va. -- Natalie B. Steinhauser earned the 2026 Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award, one of the Department of the Navy's (DoN) most prestigious scientific honors.
The DoN recognized the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Steinhauser for her pivotal leadership and technical contributions to the Distributed Open Ocean Mission Rehearsal (DOOMR) program, an initiative that transforms how the fleet prepares for combat operations at sea.
The Etter Awards, named for the former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, are presented annually. They remain one of the most significant honors for recognizing the critical impact of civilian and military scientific personnel on national security.
As the program officer for the DOOMR initiative, Steinhauser guided the critical capability from its initial concept through the final execution of a rigorous three-year Technical Candidate Program. Under her leadership, the program prototyped a groundbreaking capability that empowers multiple forward-deployed ships to conduct integrated mission rehearsals.
"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 program leverages LVC training environments, enabling the fleet to test various tactics, techniques and procedures. By coordinating seamlessly with other elements of a strike group, the technology delivers a realistic "train as you fight" environment for deployed units.
"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 drive the successful transition and adoption of these software tools, Steinhauser forged robust relationships across multiple stakeholders, leading regular reviews and demonstrations.
She recently pitched the program's progress to the Navy’s LVC community at the PMS 205 LVC Consortium, soliciting further collaborations and identifying additional applications for the technology.
While the Dr. Delores M. Etter Award marks a pinnacle of professional achievement within the Navy's scientific and engineering community, Steinhauser emphasized that supporting the warfighter fuels her primary motivation.
"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 (NRL), secured multiple prestigious awards across individual and team categories totaling more than 10 percent of the awards across the DoN.
A formal ceremony to honor the achievements of these distinguished scientists and engineers was held at the Pentagon Auditorium on July 29, 2026.