---
category: U.S. Government
created: 2025-07-23
description: The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an agency within the U.S. Department
  of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy
  and Marine Corps.
location: Arlington, Virginia
start: 1946
summary: The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an agency within the U.S. Navy responsible
  for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
tags:
- organization
- military
- research
- USA
title: Office of Naval Research
updated: 2025-07-23
---

The [Office of Naval Research](/organizations/office-of-naval-research/) (ONR) is an agency within the [U.S. Navy](/organizations/us-navy/) responsible for the science and technology programs of the [U.S. Navy](/organizations/us-navy/) and Marine Corps. It funds basic and applied research to develop new technologies and capabilities for naval operations.[^1]

In the context of psychic research, the ONR funded the development of the superconducting-shielded magnetometer used by [Arthur Hebard](/people/arthur-hebard/) at [Stanford University](/organizations/stanford-university/), which was later used in [Hal Puthoff](/people/hal-puthoff/)'s experiments with [Ingo Swann](/people/ingo-swann/). The ONR also provided contracts to scientists like [Allan H. Frey](/people/allan-h-frey/) for research on the effects of microwave radiation on the human body.[^1]

---

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.