RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems

PE 0305208K·Defense-Wide·Approp. 0400 — RDT&E·BA6 — RDT&E Management Support
FY2027 Request
$3.0M
Defense-Wide · RDT&E
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Defense-Wide requests $3.0M 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
$3.0M
▲ 2.2% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$2.9M
▼ 3.4% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$3.0M
Prior year

For fiscal year 2027, Defense-Wide agencies are requesting $3.0M for Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems under RDT&E program element 0305208K, up 2.2% 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.

03.0FY25ACTUAL2.9FY26ENACTED3.0FY27REQUEST3.0FY283.0FY293.1FY303.1FY31
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual3.0
FY2026Enacted2.9
FY2027Request3.0
FY2028Outyear3.0
FY2029Outyear3.0
FY2030Outyear3.1
FY2031Outyear3.1
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 6 — RDT&E Management Support.

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 0305208K

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 2% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project NF1

Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems

$3.0MFY2027 request ▲ 2%
FY2025 actual$3.0M
FY2026 enacted$2.9M
FY2027 request$3.0M

JITC coordinates with Military Services and Combat Support Agencies (CSA) to conduct DCGS Family of Systems (FoS) and follow-on capabilities testing and analysis, including event coordination, configuration, and instrumentation through the operation of the Enterprise Integration and Test Capability (EITC) and the Test and Evaluation Focus Team (TEFT). The TEFT predominantly executes three functions: • The EITC Focus Function (Lab), which provides and sustains DIE T&E requirements analysis to advance instrumentation and automation of metrics collection. • The Strategy Focus Function, which evaluates DIE T&E methods and capabilities to meet modern software acquisition practices development, integration, and continuous delivery of capabilities. • The Execution Focus Function, which supports DIE demonstration events, such as ENTERPRISE STORMFORCE (aka Enterprise Challenge, STORMFORCE), which is the DIE demonstration series to promote joint interoperability and integration between the Military Services, Defense Intelligence Agencies, Five Eye (FVEY) Allies and select Coalition Partners. Additionally, the TEFT: • Advocates, coordinates, and synchronizes with Military Services and CSAs for the use of existing DoW test facilities, such as the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), to advance common science, technology, modeling, and simulation that improve DIE test capabilities, capacity, and integration. • Supports data collection activities on secret, top-secret, and Coalition and Partner networks to characterize the state of DIE capabilities. • Teams with JITC DCGS FoS, ISR Platforms, and Command and Control (C2) interoperability testers to advance integrated data collection for DIE capabilities. • Supports DIE-wide acquisitions to advance digital transformation objectives and integrate with Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) initiatives. • Supports ENTERPRISE STORMFORCE T&E. These efforts help close Joint capability gaps, promote enterprise interoperability, and enable DCGS and like capabilities integration. This enables improved data sharing between DIE components. • Supports demonstrations and evaluation of capabilities relying on the Defense Intelligence Agency’s data broker (known as the Common Data Fabric, or CDF).

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems (DCGS)▲ 2%
FY2025 actual$3.0M
FY2026 enacted$2.9M
FY2027 request$3.0M

FY2027 planned work In addition to continuing the FY 2026 efforts and yearly OUSW (I&S) technology demonstration cycle, the TEFT will: • Provide follow-on Operational T&E services in support of Common Intelligence Picture (CIP) development efforts to deliver a full operational capability (FOC) to the INCOPACOM Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) and individual Service component intelligence directorates under CCMD authorities. • Increase participation in multi-national exercises and technology demonstrations that advance CIP integration as required by CCMDs. • Formally team with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) to develop Continuous Automated Testing standards and…

FY2026 to FY2027 change The increase of +$0.064 million from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to anticipated increases in contract costs.

FY2026 plans — current year In addition to continuing the FY 2025 efforts and yearly OUSW(I&S) technology demonstration cycle, the TEFT will: • Develop an enterprise “view" composed of intelligence-data interfaces for capabilities with joint interoperability certification requirements and programs under Director, Operational Test and Evaluation oversight. • Synchronize T&E methods, execution, and reporting of intelligence data with other operational capabilities and CJADC2 concepts. • Participate in CJADC2 experimentation and other Joint/Service/Agency events advancing intelligence data integration into Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning workflows designed to expedite warfighting outcomes. • Incorporate programs…

FY2025 accomplishments • Gain access to the Intelligence Community Commercial Cloud Enterprise to explore the integration of operationally relevant data within test, demonstration, and experimentation environments. • Gain access to Development, Security, Operations (DevSecOps) pipelines or as-a-service environments to collect MIP software development metrics and populate enterprise maturity models and emergent DIE evaluation frameworks. • Develop T&E tools that reside on DevSecOps pipelines to enable direct data collection and advance continuous interoperability assessment concepts, to include the exploration of Artificial Intelligence-powered analysis tools. • Team with Military Service or Agency MIP development…

Congressional action

Congressional marks

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

RequestPresident's Budget
$3.0M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$3.0M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$3.0M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$3.0M full · +$0
unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) is the sole joint interoperability certification agent for the Department of War (DoW). JITC provides test and evaluation (T&E) services to the Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems (DCGS) Family of Systems (FoS), a major component of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise (DIE).

Project NF1 — Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems
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Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0305208K (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems (PE 0305208K)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0305208K
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/0305208K.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.combudget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks