_NR18763 ARLINGTON, Va. (Feb. 2, 2016) The Office of Naval Research (ONR) started here at T-3, a wing of the Main Navy Building on Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C., in 1946. the mission of the new agency was stated in Public Law 588, "to plan, foster, and encourage scientific research in recognition of its paramount importance as related to the maintenance of future naval power and the preservation of national security." (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)