Ocean Warfighting Environment Applied Research

Ocean Wrfghtg Env Applied Res is a Navy initiative focused on applied research to develop and exploit tactical understanding of the ocean environment to maintain U.S. maritime superiority and ensure national security. The program aims to assure access to the global maritime domain through technologies that reliably sense and predict the ocean and littoral environment. It addresses the objectives through direct observation of the physical environment by shipboard, airborne, and space-based platforms, assimilation of these observations into predictive environmental models, and provision of critical environmental knowledge to tactical decision aids. The program's efforts are managed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and support naval forces in effectively deterring conflict and ensuring preparedness for future challenges.

The specific goals of Program PE 0602435N include developing foundational environmental knowledge for undersea, surface, and air-based warfighting technologies and effective operations globally. This involves gaining real-time knowledge of the Battlespace Environment (BSE), understanding variability between processes in the world's ocean, atmosphere, and coastal regions, and providing on-scene commanders with the capability to exploit the environment to tactical, operational, and strategic advantage. The program also contributes to broader federal research efforts such as the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) and focuses on improving extended range environmental prediction through coupled Earth system models. Additionally, it emphasizes field research in navally relevant environments outside the U.S., including efforts aimed at understanding and predicting the impacts of underwater sound on marine mammals.