RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

Policy R&D Programs

PE 0305186D8Z·Defense-Wide·Approp. 0400 — RDT&E·BA7 — Operational System Development
FY2027 Request
$11.7M
◆ Scaling +96%
HitchAI read

Defense-Wide funding ramps 96% to a $11.7M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

FY2027 Request
$11.7M
▲ 96% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$6.0M
▼ 1.6% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$6.1M
Prior year

For fiscal year 2027, Defense-Wide agencies are requesting $11.7M for Policy R&D Programs under RDT&E program element 0305186D8Z, up 96% over FY2026.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

06.1FY25ACTUAL6.0FY26ENACTED11.7FY27REQUEST11.8FY2812.0FY2912.2FY3012.5FY31
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual6.1
FY2026Enacted6.0
FY2027Request11.7
FY2028Outyear11.8
FY2029Outyear12.0
FY2030Outyear12.2
FY2031Outyear12.5
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 7 — Operational System Development.

Complete
Research
BA 1–2
Complete
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Complete
Prototyping
BA 4
Current
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 0305186D8Z

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves 96% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project 186

Policy R&D Programs

$11.7MFY2027 request ▲ 96%
FY2025 actual$6.1M
FY2026 enacted$6.0M
FY2027 request$11.7M
Product Development

The Policy R&D Program supports the interim National Defense Strategy by providing analysis to overcome military security challenges. The global security environment is dynamic and complex. Continuous research and analysis is necessary for understanding foreign military structures and capabilities, as well as for developing mid- to long-term anticipatory and strategic perspectives on security issues. These perspectives can then guide necessary changes to policies, strategies, processes, and capabilities that advance U.S. and interests. This program blends multiple research disciplines including policy, sciences, and engineering to better understand matters affecting strategy, planning, management of international alliances and partnerships, crisis preparedness and response, budgetary and operational oversight, cyber and space challenges, special operations, homeland defense, nuclear and missile defense, and other emerging threats to the national security of the US. The program also supports statutorily directed requirements related to Office of the Under Secretary of War for Policy mission areas.

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
Future Security Challenges▼ 11%
FY2025 actual$2.4M
FY2026 enacted$2.3M
FY2027 request$2.0M

FY2027 planned work Continue FY 2026 efforts to include: • The INDO-PACOM AOR remains an area with increased emphasis and the program will continue to perform trend analysis and developing mitigation options. • Develop opportunities to apply risk management methodologies to identified program areas. • Working with our international partners, develop net-centric enterprise technologies to remove international sharing barriers identified with maritime information, intelligence, and data being collected by DoW and foreign governments. • Research military competition among nations in the Far and Middle East and highlight potential capabilities and policies each nation may utilize in future armed conflicts. •…

FY2026 to FY2027 change The decrease of $-0.256 million between FY 2026 and FY 2027 is due a reduction in contract services undertaken in direct support of the President's executive order, which prioritizes cost efficiency, transparency, and the consolidation of services. This measure represents a deliberate workforce optimization strategy designed to streamline resources while safeguarding against adverse impacts to modernization initiatives and overall mission effectiveness.

FY2026 plans — current year Continue FY 2025 efforts to include: • The INDO-PACOM AOR remains an area with increased emphasis and the program will continue to perform trend analysis and developing mitigation options. • Develop opportunities to apply risk management methodologies to identified program areas. • Working with our international partners, develop net-centric enterprise technologies to remove international sharing barriers identified with maritime information, intelligence, and data being collected by DoW and foreign governments. • Research military competition among nations in the Far and Middle East and highlight potential capabilities and policies each nation may utilize in future armed conflicts. •…

FY2025 accomplishments Continue FY 2024 efforts to include: • The INDO-PACOM AOR remains an area with increased emphasis and the program will continue to perform trend analysis and developing mitigation options. • Develop opportunities to apply risk management methodologies to identified program areas. • Working with our international partners, develop net-centric enterprise technologies to remove international sharing barriers identified with maritime information, intelligence, and data being collected by DoD and foreign governments. • Research military competition among nations in the Far and Middle East and highlight potential capabilities and policies each nation may utilize in future armed conflicts. •…

Long Term Competitions (LTC) Programflat
FY2025 actual$3.0M
FY2026 enacted$3.0M
FY2027 request$3.0M

FY2027 planned work Specific efforts are classified.

FY2026 to FY2027 change There is no change in funding between FY 2026 and FY 2027.

FY2026 plans — current year Specific efforts are classified.

FY2025 accomplishments Specific efforts are classified.

Defense Planning Scenarios Activitiesflat
FY2025 actual$0.7M
FY2026 enacted$0.7M
FY2027 request$0.7M

FY2027 planned work Specific efforts are classified.

FY2026 to FY2027 change There is no change in funding between FY 2026 and FY 2027.

FY2026 plans — current year Specific efforts are classified.

FY2025 accomplishments Specific efforts are classified.

Modernize and Transform AnalyticsNEW
FY2025 actual
FY2026 enacted
FY2027 request$6.0M

FY2027 planned work The detailed plan for this funding is classified.

FY2026 to FY2027 change The details for increase of $6.000 million between FY 2026 and FY 2027 is classified.

Congressional action

Congressional marks

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget
$11.7M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$11.7M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$11.7M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$11.7M full · +$0
unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Who's building it

Where the FY2027 request goes

Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.

Where FY2027 funding flowsShare$M
Government labs & warfare centers100%11.7
FY2027 request100%11.7
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

The Policy R&D Program supports the interim National Defense Strategy by providing analysis to overcome military security challenges. The global security environment is dynamic and complex. Continuous research and analysis is necessary for understanding foreign military structures and capabilities, as well as for developing mid- to long-term anticipatory and strategic perspectives on security issues. These perspectives can then guide necessary changes to policies, strategies, processes, and capabilities that advance U.S. and interests.

N/A

Project 186 — Policy R&D Programs
  • Product Development
Ask Hitch

Ask this program element

Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

H
Questions this page can answer
How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did the FY2027 NDAA committees do to this request?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?In plain terms, what is this program element for and how is it being acquired?

This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what a contractor has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.

Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0305186D8Z (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Policy R&D Programs (PE 0305186D8Z)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0305186D8Z
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/0305186D8Z.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.combudget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks