Progress In U.S. Navy Diving Biomedical Research

In the US Navy diving community there is an essential interdependence between the biomedical researcher, the engineer and the operator. Before operational capabilities can advance, biomedical research must define the nature of the biological events that accompany exposure to extreme environmental conditions. Based on the results of this research, the biomedical researcher and the engineer work together to develop specifications for diving equipment and systems, and the biomedical research scientist and operator work to develop procedures for use during diving operations. The engineer and operator often encounter problems in the course of their work for which they refer to the diving biomedical research community for elucidation, and hopefully, solution. Thus, the biomedical researcher, engineer and operator comprise a triad that is necessary for the advancement of operational capability. By their contributions, Navy biomedical researchers have enhanced substantially US Navy operational capabilities in the past 15 years. This paper will highlight some of these contributions and show the impact that they have had on the diving capability of the United States Navy.