One Navy Lab: Developing a Framework for Enhanced Collaboration and Efficiency

Various land-based combat systems labs supporting the U.S. Navy are distributed geographically across the United States. However, a notable gap exists in the form of a land-based lab representing a fully integrated combat system of a naval vessel. Consequently, shipboard testing is the first opportunity for interoperability testing. A ship-representative land-based test site, a One Navy Lab, would support system capability development, verification and validation of technical documentation, independent verification and validation at the element and system levels, remote interface testing, and interoperability testing. However, the process of setting up the lab may entail substantial up-front costs, and currently, there is no established framework to guide decision-makers to develop such a lab. Evaluating and validating the One Navy Lab based on technical capability gains and long-term cost savings would greatly benefit decision-makers. This report develops a framework to guide stakeholder decision-making in establishing the One Navy Lab. Multiple courses of action are explored, including maintaining the status quo, building one or multiple fully integrated and geographically co-located labs, and connecting geographically distanced labs via a naval network. Following extensive research and analysis, this report concludes that maintaining the current course of action of shipboard testing is the most advantageous and cost-effective path forward.