The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is composed of six directorates and the U.S. Army Research Office (ARO):

• Computational and Information Sciences Directorate (CISD)
• Human Research and Engineering Directorate (HRED)
• Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD)
• Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate (SLAD)
• Vehicle Technology Directorate (VTD)
• Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD).

In addition, ARO is the Army’s executive agent for development, execution, and transfer of extramural basic science research to meet Army-wide requirements.  ARO-sponsored scientists are the recipients of 11 Nobel prizes. ARL has primary sites at Adelphi Laboratory Center (Adelphi, MD); Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD; White Sands Missile Range, NM; Research Triangle Park, NC; NASA-Langley (Hampton, VA); and NASA-Glenn (Cleveland, OH).

The more than 1,700 Federal employees and contractors provide basic research in the following areas:  automatic target recognition, infrared optics, advanced sensors, applied physics, microelectronics, power and energy, battlefield environments and signatures, battlefield information and communications, communications and networks, advanced distribution interactive simulation, advanced decision architectures, materials and mechanics, ballistics, robotics, electromechanics and hypervelocity physics, composite materials, human engineering and human factors engineering for Army applications, advanced structures, advanced propulsion, and basic research in scientific problems with military applications. It invests in programs that seed scientific and far-reaching technological discoveries.

ARL provides applied research in the following areas:  high power components, S3I technology, electronics and electron devices, computational and information sciences, atmospheric sciences, high performance computing for Army applications, robotics, electric gun technology, materials, ballistics, manufacturing sciences, Soldier-centered analysis and survivability/lethality analysis of Army systems, atmospheric investigations, vehicles structures technology, and propulsion technology.