CNA Operations Evaluation Group conducts on-going field-based research focused on a wide range of operational challenges facing military decision makers as well as leaders at a host of other government agencies.

During WWII these OEG scientists were pioneers in the field of military operations research; their resulting equations governing anti-submarine warfare searching and screening changed the course of the war and set the standard for future operations research methods.

CNA Operations Evaluation Group (OEG)

  • Fleet Operations and Support
  • Strategic and Operational Capabilities

Areas of Focus:

  • Tactical Analysis
  • Operational Analysis
  • Strategic Analysis
  • Readiness and Training
  • Operational Testing

Through its Field Program, OEG deploys analysts to operational commands around the world as field representatives. Assignments are for two to three years and range from aircraft carrier strike groups and Marine expeditionary forces to the U.S. Central Command and the U.S. Pacific Command. OEG field representatives are included in all functions of the command and provide real-time analytic support.

OEG also provides analyses of operations and logistics, and explores such issues as opportunities for system improvements, efficient and effective use of shared fiscal resources, and whether operations systems should be upgraded or replaced.

Integration is another area of focus for OEG analysts—a focus that goes beyond integration between the Navy and Marine Corps to include integration between operators and the community that trains the operators. Commanders expect their forces to will be properly trained for the missions appropriate for that theater. But training programs can't respond to each nuance of a particular mission and, inevitably, mismatches occur. OEGs work in this area involves understanding the skills being honed under specific training programs and how those programs can adapt to new concepts of operation. For example, can training programs be altered to accommodate a compressed pre-deployment training period? What impact does pre-deployment training have on combat effectiveness? What role does the training environment play in training received?

Also in the spirit of its origins, OEG is responsible augmenting its field representatives in times of crisis or during conflict operations by sending additional analysts from our headquarters to support the military's operating forces. We have supported every conflict that involved the Navy or Marines since World War II, including the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the 1991 Gulf War and, most recently, Operation Iraqi Freedom. During these conflicts, OEG field reps and the augmenting analysts are responsible for providing real-time analytic support on issues that can help their commander conduct the operation. In addition to this fundamental charter, the analysts are also responsible for identifying issues requiring post-conflict analyses and collecting data to support those efforts.