- The Office of the Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering has published its recommendations on how to transform the agency’s research and development enterprise
- An assessment led by Joseph Jewell, assistant secretary of war for science and technology, found systemic bottlenecks and lack of standardization in their laboratories and R&D centers
- The report underscored the need for a specific allocation for R&D within the laboratory military construction budget
The Office of the Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering on Wednesday released final recommendations from its 90-day assessment of the agency’s research and development enterprise.
One of the key recommendations of the department was to allocate funding specifically for R&D, testing and evaluation within the laboratory military construction budget, according to Joseph Jewell, assistant secretary of war for science and technology, which operates under OUSW(R&E).
Which R&D Facilities Were Covered in the Assessment?
The study involved 30 site visits to the Department of War’s science technology reinvention laboratories, including the Air Force, Army and Navy research laboratories. Jewell’s team also evaluated federally funded research and development centers and university-affiliated research centers. Jewell said that while the R&D infrastructure is “fundamentally sound, with an unmatched concentration of world-class scientists, engineers and researchers,” their team found a lack of enterprise-like reporting as well as decentralized business models that may not be applicable to all laboratories.
What Are Some of the Recommended Solutions to Improve DOW R&D?
Aside from improvements in funding, Jewell’s office underscored the need for infrastructure modernization, improvement of communication among STRLs, FFRDCs and UARCs, and the establishment of cross-functional working groups to lead the transformation of the agency’s R&D enterprise. OUSW(R&E) said it will release an implementation plan to ensure the execution and track the progress of R&D reform.
“This assessment highlights how siloed the R&D enterprise has become as it expanded over the past half century,” said Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering and a 2026 Wash100 awardee. “This comprehensive review mandates our path forward to address the overriding challenge of delivering technology from lab to our warfighters rapidly, without sacrificing our rigorous standards for safety and combat effectiveness.”
