In all respects, the ARO program is the designated organization for the entire spectrum of Army activities extending from research to development to acquisition. The roots of research are in the scientific and engineering disciplines, namely aeronautics, biology, chemistry, electronics, geosciences, mathematics, mechanics, metallurgy, physics, and so on. Many innovations are a direct result of fundamental changes in this science base. In recognition of these roots, the ARO program is organized along scientific disciplinary lines. This is the natural way in which the resident national talent base interfaces with the Army.
Scientific inquiry continues to produce new opportunities for military exploitation.
Some of these scientific accomplishments will solve old military problems and others will suggest new opportunities. The laser, for example, was invented as a direct consequence of the first stimulated demonstration of radiation emission, a phenomenon of important scientific interest. The laser's use to instantaneously detect the range to a target provided the key element to a very old gunner problem. No longer was it necessary to fire an initial round to estimate the target range so that subsequent rounds might be adjusted for direct hit. On the other hand, the laser's use as an illuminator device presented an entirely new opportunity for the terminal guidance of a projectile or missile for precise target impact.