The Naval Research Advisory Committee (NRAC) is a civilian advisory committee to the United States Navy. The committee was established in 1946 by Public Law 588, which also created the Office of Naval Research. Members are appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to a two-year term, with membership limited by law to 15 members preeminent in the fields of science, research, and development, with one member specializing in medicine. At first the committee focused on advising the Chief of Naval Research, but in 1956 it took on a broader role at the request of Admiral Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations.