Defence Reference Laboratory (DRL) is the apex medical laboratory of the Nigerian military with state-of-the-art diagnostic and research facilities. It is a product of military-to-military partnership between the Nigeria Ministry of Defence (NMOD) and the United States Department of Defense (USDOD) as part of U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It was borne out of the desire to establish a laboratory that meets international standards of quality.

The DRL is a centre of excellence for diagnosis and research Located inside Mogadishu Military Cantonment Abuja. It is saddled with onsite support, mentorship, monitoring and evaluation of the Program site laboratories, manpower/capacity development, QA QC activities/quality management, provision of high standard medical laboratory services in clinical care and research, handling of referrals. Currently, DR is ISO 15189 accredited laboratory through the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) and attains stage 4 in Strengthening Laboratory Biosafety Program (SLBP) by US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Georgia).