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History-Making Oceanographer and Ret. Navy Captain Dies at 92

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.

November 16, 2023

Undersea Signal Processing

The goal of the Office of Naval Research's Undersea Signal Processing program is to develop signal processing algorithms that improve the Navy's ability to detect, identify and locate submarines in shallow and deep ocean environments.

March 18, 2022

Unmanned Capabilities Front and Center During Naval Exercise

During a visit to San Diego for the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby said America’s growing focus on autonomous capabilities is showing impressive results.

April 22, 2021

ONR Chief Unveils New Vision to Reimagine Naval Power

Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin C. Selby last week introduced a new vision for future naval power—one based on faster development of unmanned, autonomous systems, vibrant partnerships with industry and academia, and reimagined naval formations.

November 22, 2021

Innovating IAS: DoN Releases Strategy for Accelerating Autonomy, AI Development

ONR and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation have published the Naval Intelligent Autonomous Systems Strategy, which sets a new course for how the Navy and Marine Corps will synchronize and carry out autonomy and artificial intelligence efforts across naval unmanned systems.

September 15, 2021

Navy ‘SCOUTs’ the Digital Battlespace to Test Operational Problems

A partnership involving the Office of Naval Research (ONR); the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (DASN RDT&E); and the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) is conducting the first virtual sprint demonstration of the Aggregated Digital Ecosystem for Naval Advantage (ADENA) during February and March 2022.

March 03, 2022

Tech FLEX: ONR SCOUT Experimentation Event Showcases Value of Unmanned

ONR SCOUT is an ongoing, multiagency experimentation campaign to identify new ways to bring unmanned technologies to warfighter problems, test them in realistic operating conditions and get them to the fleet and force. SCOUT is committed to partnering with industry to get nontraditional, commercial-off-the-shelf, government-developed and/or government-sponsored technologies to the fleet rapidly.

October 28, 2022

Awesome Algorithms: Prize Challenge Tests Software Performance in Unmanned Vehicles

The Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge recently sponsored a three-stage competition called the Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuvers (AISUM) Prize Challenge.

May 09, 2022

Mine Mission: Marine Corps Looks to Boost Mine Countermeasure Capabilities

At the Technical Concept Experiment 23.2, held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, ONR showcased multiple systems designed to enhance the Marine Corps’ capability in carrying out amphibious operations — including explosive hazard defeat/mine countermeasures as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

January 19, 2024

Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence: ONR to Highlight AI Research at DoD Symposium

Leaders from the Office of Naval Research will discuss how the Department of the Navy can best harness the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) during two panel sessions at the Department of Defense (DoD) Artificial Intelligence Symposium and Exposition, held Sept. 9-10, 2020. The two-day virtual event is sponsored by the DoD's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

September 09, 2020