The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed and fielded the next generation of its Insertable Stalk Inspection System (ISIS360), a non-human entry inspection technology designed to improve the safety, speed, and accuracy of shipboard tank inspections across the U.S. Navy’s Surface Fleet. The technology is collapsing inspection timelines from days or weeks to hours and enabling pre-assessment of tank condition, so only tanks requiring maintenance are opened during availability periods.

Cmdr. Luis A. Levine relinquished command of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Scientific Development Squadron (VXS) 1, the Warlocks, to Cmdr. Andrew R. Vawter, the new Commanding Officer (CO), during a change of command ceremony Mar. 27 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland.

Kathryn Wahl, Ph.D., a senior researcher at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), has been awarded the 2025 E.O. Hulburt Annual Science Award for pioneering research that has advanced the scientific understanding of adhesion, lubrication, and nanoscale contact mechanics.

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Research Engineer Joel Goodman, Ph.D., was named the 2025 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global Technical Employee of the Year and awarded the Department of the Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal for his leadership, technical excellence, and sustained contributions to high-impact international research initiatives supporting U.S. Navy science and technology priorities.

In 2025, scientists and engineers at NRL pushed the boundaries of what is possible, launching new instruments into space, advancing breakthrough technologies in the lab, and delivering capabilities that directly strengthen naval readiness and national security. From the sea floor to the far reaches of space, NRL’s research this year translated discovery into real-world impact for the Fleet and the Nation.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Spectrum Collaboration and Demonstration Team has been awarded the 2025 U.S. Navy - U.S. Marine Corps Electromagnetic Spectrum Team Excellence Award at WEST 2026 in San Diego, Calif., Feb. 9.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of altermagnetism. The research was published by the American Chemical Society.

For 11 years, the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment, known as VLITE, has quietly recorded the low-frequency radio sky every time the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (VLA) observes.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Associate Director of Research Dr. Gerald M. Borsuk, SES, retired in early January 2026 after more than four decades of distinguished federal service advancing the Navy’s science and technology program.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is offering students at every stage, from high school through graduate school, the opportunity to contribute to cutting edge research that supports national security and advances scientific discovery through its internship and fellowship programs.