The Navy Toxicology Unit, which had been founded in 1959 in response to air quality issues withinUSSNautilus as well as toxicity concerns about replacements for flammable hydraulic fluids, was incorporated into the Naval Medical Research Institute in 1975 and moved the following year from Bethesda toWright-Patterson Air Force Base inDayton, Ohio so it could share resources with the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory's Toxic Hazards Division.[4] The unit later became the Environmental Health Effects Laboratory atNaval Medical Research Unit Dayton.[5]
NMRC has 1600 employees.[6] Its main campus in Silver Spring is divided into seven directorates:[7]
The Administration Directorate provides direction and support to the other directorates and sets the policy required to ensure a coordinated effort in support of command requirements.
The Biological Defense Research Directorate researches ways to protect military personnel in the event of a biological attack.
The Bone Marrow Research Directorate provides military contingency support for casualties with marrow toxic injury due to radiation or chemical warfare agents.
The Infectious Diseases Directorate conducts research on infectious diseases that are considered to be significant threats to our deployed sailors, marines, soldiers, and airmen.
The Operational and Undersea Medicine Directorate conducts medical research, development, testing, and evaluation to develop new information and technologies to enhance the health, safety, performance, and deployment readiness of Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
The Research Services Directorate' acts as a bridge for the community's scientific investigators, and opens NMRC scientific endeavors to research applications and developments.
The Resource Management Directorate advises the Commanding Officer on financial functions within the command.
TheNaval Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory is also located in the Silver Spring facility. It provides clinical diagnostic laboratory services for active military and their families worldwide, specializing in less-common diseases not covered by the standard military treatment facilities of theMilitary Health System.[8]
Naval Medical Research UnitsOne,Four, andFive were disestablished in the 1970s, prior to the other units' incorporation into NMRC in 1998. NAMRU-2 became NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, and NAMRU-6 became NAMRU SOUTH, in 2023.
