The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has major facilities on the banks of the Potomac River in southwest Washington, D.C.; at the Stennis Space Center,Mississippi; and in Monterey,California. NRL was dedicated on July 2, 1923, and is the Navy and Marine Corps' only corporate laboratory,charged with the mission of conducting a broadly based,mulitdisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development.
Research is directed toward maritime applications of new and improved materials;techniques;equipment;systems;ocean,atmospheric,and space sciences; and related technologies. The Navy has established NRL as its "lead laboratory" in space technology,fire research, artificial intelligence, tactical electronic warfare, and microelectronic devices.