About Us

Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio’s mission is to conduct gap-driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of Department of Defense (DoD) personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations.

NAMRU San Antonio started as a detachment that was activated as Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment on Brooks Air Force Base, Texas in 1994.  In 1998, the Detachment was reorganized as the Naval Health Research Center Detachment, Brooks Air Force Base. The Detachment reorganized again as part of base realignment and closure initiatives becoming NAMRU San Antonio in 2009.

This realignment resulted in the relocation of Tri-Service Directed Energy Bioeffects, Dental, and Combat Casualty Care Research Programs to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.  Currently, the Command is housed in two locations at Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston where workspaces are shared with the U.S. Army and Air Force. 

The research conducted at NAMRU San Antonio arms corpsmen with new technological and knowledge-based capabilities to treat craniofacial, directed-energy, and general combat injuries in the field.  In addition, many of NAMRU San Antonio’s researchers are leaders in their respective fields and authors of DoD guidance in their areas of expertise.