<P> The U.S. Army Research Laboratory Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD) is the principal U.S. Army organization for research and development in weapons and materials technologies . The directorate is charged with making bullets pierce farther and ballistic vests stronger . Although these interests may seem opposed, the goal is to increase the survivability of the soldier . In the WMRD, traditional armaments are studied, as are advanced ballistic defense systems . This directorate is especially linked with VTD in order to produce safer vehicles, transports, and aircraft . One aspect of this directorate's analysis duty is to evaluate military technologies from an economical standpoint in order to reduce overall system costs . </P> <P> Beginning in 1996, the Army Research Laboratory entered into innovative cooperative agreements with industrial and academic partners to form "federated laboratories," or "FedLabs", to perform research in broad areas important to the U.S. Army where the ARL could extract significant leverage from work being performed in the commercial and academic arenas . The first three FedLabs were in Advanced Displays, Advanced Sensors, and Telecommunications . Each FedLab was a large consortium of companies, universities, and non-profit organizations, with both an overall industrial leader and an ARL leader . The cooperative agreements forming the FedLabs were somewhat unusual in that the ARL was not a mere funder of research, but an active consortium participant . The first three FedLabs won a National Performance Award in 1999 from then - Vice President Al Gore . </P>

U.s. army research laboratory – aberdeen proving md