The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development CommandSoldier Center (DEVCOMSC), commonly known as Natick Laboratories, is a military laboratory located in Natick, Massachusetts, tasked with the research and development of food, clothing, shelters, airdrop systems, and other service member support items for the U.S. military. DEVCOM Soldier Center is a tenant of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center (NSSC), formerly known as the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (SSC). The DEVCOM Soldier Center is a component unit of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM).
Natick Soldier Systems Center occupies 78 acres (320,000m2) at its main Natick campus and has an additional 46 acres (190,000m2) in neighboring communities. The main campus is located to the northwest of Natick center and abuts upon Lake Cochituate. The installation includes facilities from all the military services, not just the Army, and is so configured to allow cross-service cooperation and collaboration both within the facility and with the many academic, industrial and governmental institutions in the Greater Boston area.
Employee/tenant numbers total 1,957 (159 military personnel, 1,048 civilians and 750 contractors).
The SSC public relations office reported that the installation’s FY2006 funding totaled approximately $1 billion, and that SSC organizations infused more than $135 million annually into the local economy through installation salaries, utilities, and local contracts.
NSSC includes facilities designed to research and test both materials (textiles, combat rations), advanced technologies and human performance (human research volunteers) under simulated environmental extremes (altitude, heat, cold, wind, etc.). The requirement for improved combat rations has led to groundbreaking developments in the field of food irradiation and freeze-drying techniques. Improved body armor, new military parachuting technology, and enhanced military garments designed for a variety of environments are all ongoing efforts.
Following World War II, the Army began to investigate the possibility of establishing a consolidated Quartermaster research and development complex. Distanced locations led to duplications of effort. Quartermaster-type work was then performed at:
the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
The Quartermaster Research Laboratory at Natick, Massachusetts, was authorized by Congress in October 1949. Construction on the laboratory began in November 1952. The ceremonial laying of a cornerstone for the Natick facility happened on 30 May 1953, with Speaker Joseph W. Martin Jr., Sen. Leverett Saltonstall, Sen. John F. Kennedy, and others in attendance.
In October 1953, the Quartermaster Research Laboratory was redesignated as the Quartermaster Research and Development Center (QM R&D Center), and designated a Quartermaster Class II installation. Also in October 1953, the Quartermaster Research and Development Command (QM R&D Command) was established at Natick, Massachusetts. The laboratory, officially known as the Quartermaster R&D Center, was operable by summer 1954.
In January 1957, the QM R&D Command was redesignated as the Quartermaster Research and Engineering Command (QM R&E Command). Around that time, the QM R&D Center was renamed as the Quartermaster Research and Engineering Center (QM R&E Center).
Natick Laboratories was assigned to the U.S. Army Troop Support Command (TROSCOM) in July 1973. Nearly two years later, in March 1975, Natick Laboratories was renamed as the U.S. Army Natick Development Center and was reassigned to AMC. In January 1976, the NDC became the U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Command (NARADCOM), which remained a reporting unit to the then-renamed AMC, the U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command (DARCOM).
1980s
NARADCOM was redesignated as the U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Laboratories in September 1980. The laboratory was renamed as the U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Center in October 1983, when it was reassigned to TROSCOM.
On 1 October 1986, NRDC was redesignated as the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center (NRDEC). The new NRDEC accompanied three other then-renamed research, development and engineering centers (RDECs): the Armament RDEC, the Belvoir RDEC, and the Chemical RDEC.
1990s
The NRDEC was assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) in October 1992. (Elements of AMC and TROSCOM merged in July 1992 to form the ATCOM, located in St. Louis, Missouri.)
The U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command (SSCOM) was activated at the Natick installation in November 1994. Elements subsequently established at the Natick installation included the Sustainment and Readiness Directorate (February 1995) and Product Manager, Soldier Support (October 1995). Elements subsequently relocated to Natick included the Clothing and Services Office from Fort Lee, Virginia, (October 1996) and the Product Manager, Force Provider (June 1997). In October 1997, the Sustainment and Readiness Directorate became the SSCOM Integrated Materiel Management Center (IMMC).
In October 1998, the SSCOM merged with the U.S. Army Chemical Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM), forming the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM). At that time, the installation was renamed as the Soldier Systems Center (SSC). Around that time, the SSCOM IMMC transitioned to become the SBCCOM IMMC, incorporating the mission of managing chemical and biological defense equipment from CBDCOM. Also in October 1998, NRDEC was redesignated as the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC).
2000s
In January 2002, the Product Manager, Soldier Support was replaced by the Product Manager, Force Sustainment Systems (PM FSS). PM FSS was a part of the Project Manager, Force Projection (PM FP), which was a component of the Program Executive Office, Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS). The PM FSS remained at Natick, and incorporated the Product Manager, Force Provider.
When SBCCOM was discontinued in 2003, the command's IMMC was transferred to the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), incorporating the IMMC's mission of managing the Army's soldier equipment and chemical and biological (CB) defense equipment under TACOM.
In June 2003, the NSC was transferred to the newly established U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM). In the late 2000s, the NSC was redesignated as the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC).
In October 2003, the U.S. Army Garrison Natick was established, a component of the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency (IMA). (Later, the IMA transitioned into the U.S. Army Installation Management Command).
2010s
On 3 February 2019, NSRDEC was renamed as the U.S. Army CCDC Soldier Center (of Combat Capabilities Development Command). Afterward, the abbreviation gradually transitioned from CCDC Soldier Center to the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center.
DEVCOM Soldier Center's parent headquarters is DEVCOM. The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), a part of U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC), is also now under FCC.
Tenant units and facilities
Natick Laboratories view, facing south-east
NSSC hosts several tenant units and facilities. The following lists detail them.
↑"Who We Are | DEVCOM SC". sc.devcom.army.mil. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025. The composition of the total DEVCOM Soldier Center force is: 45-Army Soldiers, 706-Army Civilians, 266-Contractors
↑"Who We Are | DEVCOM SC". sc.devcom.army.mil. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM Soldier Center) is located at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, under the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command. (___enter___); Stretching back to 1954, the CCDC Soldier Center's history of support for the Soldier has continued uninterrupted for more than six decades, with a focus on Soldier-related research, development and testing and evaluation efforts. If Soldiers wear it, eat it, sleep under it, or have it airdropped to them in theater, it can be traced back to the DEVCOM Soldier Center. Staffed by scientists, engineers, technologists and equipment designers, the DEVCOM Soldier Center provides a wide range of capabilities to the Soldier, to include field feeding and life support systems, clothing, precision airdrop systems, and ballistic, chemical and laser-protection systems. The composition of the total DEVCOM Soldier Center force is as follows: 45-Army Soldiers, 706-Army Civilians, 266-Contractors
123"Natick Laboratories | HABS/HAER Inventory". natickma.gov. US Army DARCOM; US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC. April 1983. p.5. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025. The Natick Research and Development Laboratories, located 20 miles west of Boston on the shore of Lake Cochituate in Natick, Massachusetts, is a major U.S. Army laboratory complex responsible chiefly for research and development of clothing, personal equipment and food systems in support of the individual combat soldier. The installation was established in 1953 and is currently comprised of 56 buildings, situated on 78 acres of land. Natick Laboratories also maintains four housing areas, one adjacent to the laboratory complex itself and the others in the nearby suburban communities of Wayland, Needham, and Sudbury. (___enter___); Following World War II, the Army began to investigate the possibility of establishing a consolidated Quartermaster research and development complex. In October 1949, Congress authorized $11 million for the construction of a consolidated Quartermaster research laboratory to be located in Natick. Construction was begun in November 1952, and in October 1953, the Quartermaster Research and Development Center was designated a permanent installation, the new center was unique because it was the first installation in the country that combined the study of human reaction to environment with the study of military equipment under virtually all known climatic conditions. The installation, operable by the summer of 1954, originally consisted of ten reinforced concrete buildings that housed the various research and development activities. Today, the Natick Laboratories is one of DARCOM's central laboratories. The Natick Laboratories includes the Aero-mechanical Engineering Laboratory, the Individual Protection Laboratory, the Science and Advanced Technology Laboratory, the Food Engineering Laboratory, and the Operations Research Systems Office.
↑"Soldier Systems Center Fact Sheets - Installation Snapshot - Economic Impact:, Total funding at SSC". 2004 [published before 6 March 2004; page last updated "04 March 2004"]. Archived from the original on 6 March 2004. Retrieved 8 April 2025. Economic Impact: SSC generates more than $135 million directly into the local economy through salaries, utilities, and local contracts. Estimated economic impact of this investment to the local community exceeds $400 million.; Total funding at SSC: Approximately $1.2 Billion (FY03)
↑"Soldier Systems Center Fact Sheets - Installation Snapshot - Economic Impact:, Total funding at SSC". natick.army.mil. 2006 [published between 20 February 2006 to 27 April 2006; claimed "03 March 2006"]. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2025. Economic Impact: SSC generates more than $135 million directly into the local economy through salaries, utilities, and local contracts. Estimated economic impact of this investment to the local community exceeds $400 million.; Total funding at SSC: Approximately $1 Billion (FY06)
↑"Our Leaders - Brig. Gen. George 'Chris' Hackler". devcom.army.mil. U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM, CCDC). 2024. Archived from the original on 8 April 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025. Brig. Gen. George 'Chris' Hackler assumed the role of Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) on July 31, 2024."; ... "He concurrently serves as the Senior Commander of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center located in Natick, Massachusetts.
↑"Activities report, third quarter, October 1952". www.google.com/books. Volume 4, Number 3. Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces. 1952. pp.256–257 / pdf pp. 487–488. Archived from the original on 6 May 2026. Retrieved 6 May 2026. QMFCI
↑"AMC Regulation 10-2". www.google.com/books. 12 June 1989. pp.26-16 / pdf p. 451. AMC-R 10-2. Archived from the original on 6 May 2026. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
↑"Soldier Systems Center (Natick) - Center Overview". www-sscom.army.mil. 1998 [published before 8 May 1999; claimed "18 December 1998"]. Archived from the original on 8 May 1999. Retrieved 13 April 2025. On October 1, 1998, two premier commands, the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command (SSCOM) located in Natick, Mass., and the U.S. Army Chemical Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM) located at the Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., merged to become the U.S. Army Soldier & Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM). By combining soldier with chemical/biological expertise, the new command will better protect our military and civilian communities. The installation known formerly as SSCOM is now known as the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center and is the Natick part of SBCCOM. The U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick) will be referred to as Natick in all subsequent references. Natick remains dedicated to improving each individual soldier's survivability and lethality on the battlefield. Full life cycle management from basic science, to product development, equipment integration, acquisition, and finally sustainment makes this mission possible. Taking a revolutionary approach to the oldest and most basic item of warfare, Natick focuses on the individual soldier as a complete weapons platform. New, complex technologies are incorporated only when soldier acceptance is proven. Supporting the Army Chief of Staff's Force XXI vision, Natick ensures that the individual soldier is prepared to meet the complex, digitized and changing battlefield of tomorrow. Soldiers and their equipment must be integrated to achieve a balance among the soldier's warfighting capabilities, including lethality, mobility, sustainability, survivability, and command and control. To support its mission, Natick has five major line organizations located in Natick, Mass.: a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, the Soldier Center of Excellence (SCOE), the Integrated Materiel Management Center, the Product Manager-Soldier Support, and Product Manager-Force Provider. In addition, Project Manager-Soldier is located at Fort Belvoir, Va.
↑"Homepage | Natick Soldier Center". natick.army.mil. Archived from the original on 8 March 2000. Retrieved 16 May 2025. At the Natick Soldier Center (NSC), formerly known as the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center (NRDEC), "We Do Something for the Warfighter Every Day." In keeping with this motto, we are deeply committed to making our soldiers, and other members of the American Armed Forces, the best equipped, best clothed, best fed, and best protected in the world.
↑"US Army Soldier Systems Center (SSC) Organization Snapshot"(PDF). www.natick.army.mil. 14 March 2007. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2025. [The] U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center (nsrdec.natick.army.mil) ensures U.S. Troops are the best equipped, best clothed, best fed, and best protected in the world through science and technology in the areas of airdrop, combat feeding, individual clothing and equipment, shelters, and Soldier system integration.
↑Benson, Jane (4 February 2019). "NSRDEC, now the CCDC Soldier Center, has a new name and a bright future". www.army.mil. NATICK, Mass.: CCDC Soldier Center Public Affairs, CCDC Soldier Center, Natick Soldier Systems Center, Natick, MA. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2025. The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, or NSRDEC, located in Natick, Mass., became the Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or CCDC Soldier Center, on February 3.
↑"Homepage | CCDC SC". ccdcsoldiercenter.army.mil. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
↑"Homepage | DEVCOM SC / CCDC SC". ccdcsoldiercenter.army.mil. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
↑"Homepage | DEVCOM SC". ccdcsoldiercenter.army.mil. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
↑Harlow, John (20 October 2009). "NSSC Tenant Organizations". www.army.mil. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2025. NSSC Tenant Organizations (_enter_); US ARIEM (_enter_); US Army ILSC-SBC (_enter_); US Navy NCTRF (_enter_); US Army NSRDEC (_enter_); US Army PM Soldier Equipment (_enter_); US Army PM FSS (_enter_); US Army RMAC-Natick
↑"USAG-Natick Garrison". natick.army.mil. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2025. The U.S. Army Garrison – Natick has the mission to provide installation services supporting Soldiers and family readiness and research, development and acquisition. (___enter___); The vision of the Garrison is a sustainable community that fosters mission excellence by providing unparalleled facilities and customer service, delivered by a motivated, professional workforce. (___enter___); The U.S. Army Garrison – Natick supports these major units: (_enter_); The U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (_enter_); U.S. Army Soldier Research Development and Engineering (_enter_); U.S. Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (_enter_); Product Manager – Force Sustainment Systems (_enter_); Product Manager – Clothing and Individual Equipment (_enter_); U.S. Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility (_enter_); U.S. Coast Guard Clothing Design and Technical Office (_enter_); Integrated Logistics Support Center (_enter_); Army Contracting Command, RDECOM Contracting Center – Natick Contracting Division (_enter_); Document Automation and Production Service (_enter_); U.S. Army Medical Command Occupational Health Clinic (_enter_); Network Enterprise Center – Natick (_enter_); Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (___enter___); The goals of the USAG Natick are to provide a first rate quality of life for Soldiers, families and civilian workforce; provide world-class facilities, services, infrastructure and environmental stewardship; resources and services fully supporting the installation and the Total Army and provide a highly skilled, motivated, customer-focused organization supporting current and future missions. (___enter___); The USAG Natick was established in 2003 with the establishment of the Installation Management Agency (IMA) and was assigned to the Northeast Region Office located at Fort Monroe, Va. In 2006, IMA became the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM). The USAG Natick continues to report to the IMCOM Northeast Region Office. (___enter___); The USAG Natick continues to focus on Safety and Risk Management; the support of mission readiness; supporting the quality of life; strategic communications at all levels; strengthening business processes and taking care of Soldiers, families and civilians.
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command
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