Rear Admiral William C. Miller has been appointed the chief of naval research. Miller, who will report directly to the secretary of the Navy, heads an agency that comprises the Office of Naval Research (ONR), created by Congress in 1946, and the Office of Naval Technology (ONT), established in 1980. The agency has an annual budget of more than $1 billion, which is allocated for research and development work conducted at universities and Navy laboratories and by industry. Miller is the 17th officer to hold the position.
Miller, 49, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1962, after which he served aboard the destroyer USS Dupont. He went on to Stanford University, where he earned degrees in electrical engineering.
He has commanded two ships, including the frigate USS McCloy and the destroyer USS Cushing. On land, he has been project officer at the Office of Naval Research, a member...