threat. Not content to study the problem from afar, this small group of MIT scientists insisted on deploying with Navy forces in order to observe operations and collect the data needed for meaningful analyses. Their groundbreaking work, and the anti-submarine warfare equations it produced, set a standard for operations research methods that CNA has maintained for 75 years.

Today, with more than 500 professionals at their headquarters and 50 researchers in the field, CNA still takes a multi-disciplinary, real-world approach to their work. On-site analysts carefully observe all aspects of a process—people, decisions, actions, consequences—and then collaborate with a headquarters-based research team to assess data and arrive at findings.

CNA's objective, empirical research and analysis helps decision makers develop sound policies, make better-informed decisions, and manage programs more effectively. Their work, which in its early decades focused solely on defense-related matters, has grown to include investigation and analysis of a broad range of national security, defense, and public interest issues including education, homeland security and air traffic management. Through their Center for Naval Analyses and Institute for Public Research, they provide public-sector organizations with the tools they need to tackle the complex challenges of making government more efficient and keeping their country safe and strong.