Project 613003
$96.9MFY2027 request ▲ 2%Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences
FY2025 actual$98.9M
FY2026 enacted$95.4M
FY2027 request$96.9M
FY2027 Request
$296.5M
▼ 3.6% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$307.6M
▼ 5.3% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$324.8M
Prior year
Roll-up of 5 projects. Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it.
For fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Air Force is requesting $296.5M for Defense Research Sciences under RDT&E program element 0601102F, down 3.6% from FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 324.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 307.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 296.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 305.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 345.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 356.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 363.8 |
Where it sits
Acquisition lifecycle
This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 1 — Basic Research.
Current
Research
BA 1–2
Later
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Later
Prototyping
BA 4
Later
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element
5 projects roll up into PE 0601102F
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 -4% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.
Project 613001
$89.0MFY2027 request ▼ 3%Physics and Electronics
FY2025 actual$91.8M
FY2026 enacted$91.4M
FY2027 request$89.0M
Project 613002
$83.7MFY2027 request ▼ 8%Aerospace, Chemical and Material Sciences
FY2025 actual$96.4M
FY2026 enacted$91.1M
FY2027 request$83.7M
Project 613004
$26.9MFY2027 request ▲ 8%Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority
FY2025 actual$30.8M
FY2026 enacted$24.9M
FY2027 request$26.9M
Project 613005
$0.0MFY2027 request ▼ 100%STEM Pipeline Development
FY2025 actual$7.0M
FY2026 enacted$4.8M
FY2027 request$0.0M
Congressional action
Congressional marks
Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.
RequestPresident's Budget
$296.5M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$301.5M +$5.0M · +1.7%
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$321.5M +$25.0M · +8.4%
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$296.5M full · +$0
▲ $25.0M chamber gap — unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Program detail
Mission & acquisition strategy
Defense Research Sciences consists of basic research activities in academia and industry along with research performed in the Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Air Force Institute of Technology, and the United States Air Force Academy. This program supports basic broad-based scientific and engineering research in areas critical to DAF weapon, sensor, and support systems. All research areas are subject to long-range planning and technical review by both DAF and tri-Service scientific planning groups. This program is accomplished by AFRL.
Project 613003, 613001, 613002, 613004, 613005 — Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences
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.
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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?Which project inside PE 0601102F is growing fastest, and which is shrinking?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 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0601102F (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Defense Research Sciences (PE 0601102F)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0601102F
Machine access
Markdown twin
/programs/0601102F.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.com → budget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marksFY2027 Request
$96.9M
▲ 1.6% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$95.4M
▼ 3.6% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$98.9M
Prior year
Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences — one RDT&E project inside PE 0601102F. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 613003 — Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences — requests $96.9M in FY2027, 33% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F. Year over year it grows 1.6% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 613003 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 98.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 95.4 |
| FY2027 | Request | 96.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 102.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 108.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 112.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 114.7 |
Inside the project
4 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them. Opening lines only here — the full year-by-year narrative is on the project page.
FY2025 actual$21.6M
FY2026 enacted$20.1M
FY2027 request$21.1M
- Continue designing and analyzing techniques to enable reliable and secure exchange of information and predictable operation of networks and systems, including hardware and software interactions. - Continue to investigate traditional aspects of information assurance with an emphasis on the underlying mathematics of secure-by-design…
Read the FY2027 plan →Decision Making▲ 5%
FY2025 actual$21.7M
FY2026 enacted$20.2M
FY2027 request$21.2M
- Continue investigating new mathematical laws, scientific principles, and robust algorithms that underlie intelligent, mixed human-machine decision-making to achieve accurate real-time integration of human expertise and knowledge into a machine-based battlespace network. - Continue to develop new mathematical models for information…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$28.1M
FY2026 enacted$26.2M
FY2027 request$27.5M
- Continue developing new scientific concepts supported by rigorous analysis for advancing the science of autonomy and promoting the understanding necessary to analyze and design complex multi-scale systems as well as to provide guaranteed levels of performance. - Continue to develop novel adaptive control strategies for coordinating…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$27.6M
FY2026 enacted$25.7M
FY2027 request$27.0M
- Continue investigating multidisciplinary approaches for studying, using, mimicking, synthesizing, and adapting to the ways natural systems are built, assembled and organized, and functioning to accomplish their objectives. - Continue to develop a fundamental understanding of biochemical mechanisms and control procedures for the…
Read the FY2027 plan →Project detail
What project 613003 buys
Basic research in the Mathematics, Information Sciences, and Life Sciences Project seeks to expand fundamental knowledge and enable revolutionary advances and supporting technologies critical to the future of the Department of the Air Force. Major areas being investigated in this project are data fusion, machine learning and artificial intelligence, information and complex networks, cyber-security, autonomous decision making, dynamical systems, optimization and control, and natural materials and systems. While the following are specific sub-areas within this Project, there is a continuing interest to explore novel ideas to bridge disciplines within 0601102F, Defense Research Sciences.
FY2027 Request
$89.0M
▼ 2.7% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$91.4M
▼ 0.4% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$91.8M
Prior year
Physics and Electronics — one RDT&E project inside PE 0601102F. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 613001 — Physics and Electronics — requests $89.0M in FY2027, 30% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F. Year over year it falls 2.6% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 613001 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 91.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 91.4 |
| FY2027 | Request | 89.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 91.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 95.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 98.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 100.0 |
Inside the project
3 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them. Opening lines only here — the full year-by-year narrative is on the project page.
FY2025 actual$44.4M
FY2026 enacted$41.8M
FY2027 request$43.0M
- Continue exploring a wide range of complex materials and devices, including non-linear optical materials, photonics, optoelectronics, metamaterials, cathodes, dielectric and magnetic materials, memristive systems, topological materials, strongly correlated materials, and two-dimensional materials including graphene. - Continue…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$14.1M
FY2026 enacted$13.3M
FY2027 request$13.7M
- Continue exploring a wide range of activities characterized by processes sufficiently energetic to require understanding and managing plasma phenomenology and the non-linear response of materials to high electric and magnetic fields. - Continue exploring high-energy lasers, plasma discharges, radio frequency propagation, radio…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$33.3M
FY2026 enacted$31.3M
FY2027 request$32.3M
- Continue exploring all aspects of producing and receiving electromagnetic and electro-optical signals, as well as their propagation through complex media, including adaptive optics and optical imaging. - Continue to investigate aspects of the phenomenology of lasers including non-linear optics and ultra-short pulse laser science…
Read the FY2027 plan →Project detail
What project 613001 buys
Basic research in the Physics and Electronics Project seeks to enable revolutionary advances and expand the fundamental knowledge supporting technologies critical to the future of the Department of the Air Force. Research prioritizes high-risk, high-reward, game-changing scientific breakthroughs essential for future leaps in warfighter system performance, functionality, reliability, and survivability while simultaneously reducing component and system power, size, mass, and life cycle costs. Major areas being investigated in this project are complex electronics and fundamental quantum processes; plasma physics and high energy density non-equilibrium processes; and lasers and optics, electromagnetics, communication, and signal processing. While the following specific efforts are the focus of the Project, there is interest in exploring novel ideas that may bridge these major efforts as well as those in the other Projects within 0601102F, Defense Research Sciences.
FY2027 Request
$83.7M
▼ 8.1% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$91.1M
▼ 5.4% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$96.4M
Prior year
Aerospace, Chemical and Material Sciences — one RDT&E project inside PE 0601102F. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 613002 — Aerospace, Chemical and Material Sciences — requests $83.7M in FY2027, 28% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F. Year over year it falls 8.1% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 613002 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 96.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 91.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 83.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 86.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 99.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 103.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 105.3 |
Inside the project
3 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them. Opening lines only here — the full year-by-year narrative is on the project page.
FY2025 actual$32.5M
FY2026 enacted$30.8M
FY2027 request$28.3M
- Continue investigating the characterization, modeling, and exploitation of interactions between the unsteady aerodynamic flow field and the dynamic air vehicle structure to enable enhanced performance in next-generation Department of the Air Force systems. - Continue to explore the synergy gained from an interdisciplinary integration…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$28.1M
FY2026 enacted$26.5M
FY2027 request$24.4M
- Continue exploring scientific advances by integrating core disciplines of combustion, plasma dynamics, chemistry, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics, and multi-fidelity simulations. - Continue to investigate processes associated with the generation, storage, and utilization of energy, specifically for Department of the Air Force…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$35.8M
FY2026 enacted$33.8M
FY2027 request$31.1M
- Continue investigating multifunctional materials and structures composed of different classes of materials, both organic and inorganic, that can adapt to environmental constraints or mission requirements. - Continue to explore hierarchically-designed materials, microsystems, and structures to achieve dynamically functional and…
Read the FY2027 plan →Project detail
What project 613002 buys
Basic research in the Aerospace, Chemical, and Materials Sciences Project seeks to enable revolutionary advances and expand the fundamental knowledge supporting technologies critical to the future of the Department of the Air Force. Research stresses high-risk, high-reward, game-changing scientific breakthroughs essential for future leaps in warfighter system performance, functionality, reliability, and survivability while simultaneously reducing component and system power, size, mass, and life cycle costs. Research topics include: aero-structure interactions and control; energy, power, and propulsion; complex materials and structures; and cross-disciplinary research reflecting the highly integrated nature of future weapon systems. While the following specific efforts are the focus of the Project there is interest in exploring novel ideas that may bridge these major efforts as well as those in other Projects within 0601102F, Defense Research Sciences.
FY2027 Request
$26.9M
▲ 8.1% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$24.9M
▼ 19% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$30.8M
Prior year
Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority — one RDT&E project inside PE 0601102F. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 613004 — Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority — requests $26.9M in FY2027, 9.1% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F. Year over year it grows 8.2% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 613004 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 30.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 24.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 26.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 25.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 41.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 43.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 43.8 |
Inside the project
2 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them. Opening lines only here — the full year-by-year narrative is on the project page.
FY2025 actual$15.3M
FY2026 enacted$15.4M
FY2027 request$14.6M
- Continue funding disruptive basic research opportunities at international universities and organizations discovered by engaging with and leveraging the worldwide research community. - Continue to explore foreign investments and influence premier scientific leaders on specific topics of interest to the Department of the Air Force…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2025 actual$15.5M
FY2026 enacted$9.5M
FY2027 request$12.3M
- Continue identifying, recruiting, and increasing opportunities for new investigators to participate in critical Department of the Air Force research. - Continue to support basic science, mathematics, and engineering research efforts to include funding in microelectronics, materials, energy, aerospace, quantum science, and other fields…
Read the FY2027 plan →Project detail
What project 613004 buys
The major efforts in the Science Alliances and Talent Development for DAF Superiority Project are to facilitate interactions between the international and domestic research communities and Department of the Air Force researchers, and to develop scientists and engineers with an awareness of Department of the Air Force basic research priorities. These professional interactions and collaborations benefit the Department of the Air Force by increasing awareness of basic research priorities in the research community as a whole and attracting talented scientists and engineers to address Department of the Air Force needs. International interactions foster relationships with scientific partners and leverage international expertise in nascent scientific developments. This project also seeks to enhance interactions with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and other institutions, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4144, Research and Educational Programs and Activities: Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-serving Institutions of Higher Education.
FY2027 Request
$0.0M
▼ 100% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$4.8M
▼ 30% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$7.0M
Prior year
STEM Pipeline Development — one RDT&E project inside PE 0601102F. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 613005 — STEM Pipeline Development — requests $0.0M in FY2027, 0.0% of the $296.5M requested for program element 0601102F. Year over year it falls 100% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 613005 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 7.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 4.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 0.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 0.0 |
Inside the project
2 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them.
DAF K-12 STEM Pipeline Development▼ 100%
FY2025 actual$5.1M
FY2026 enacted$2.7M
FY2027 request$0.0M
FY2027 planned work - K-12 STEM activity consolidated into OUSW(R&E) in FY 2027.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY 2027 decreased compared to FY 2026 by $2.730 million due to consolidation of K-12 STEM activities into OUSW(R&E) to achieve efficiencies of scale.
FY2026 plans — current year - Develop, institutionalize, and coordinate K-12 STEM outreach activities throughout the Department of the Air Force. - Leverage ongoing partnerships with industry, schools, and other government agencies to enhance the effectiveness of investments in outreach that promotes foundational knowledge building, experiential learning, and STEM workforce development.
Leadership Experience Growing Apprenticeships Committed to Youth (LEGACY)▼ 100%
FY2025 actual$1.9M
FY2026 enacted$2.1M
FY2027 request$0.0M
FY2027 planned work - K-12 STEM activity consolidated into OUSW(R&E) in FY 2027.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY 2027 decreased compared to FY 2026 by $2.106 million due to consolidation of K-12 STEM activities into OUSW(R&E) to achieve efficiencies of scale.
FY2026 plans — current year - Identify, cultivate, and increase STEM opportunities across the Department of the Air Force through a progressive pipeline aimed at filling future STEM workforce needs. - Support STEM activities that identify and retain talented elementary, middle school, high-school, and undergraduate students to develop a future talent bench with competencies in the emerging technology areas that will form the future STEM workforce.
Project detail
What project 613005 buys
The major efforts in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pipeline Development Project are initiatives to support STEM education and outreach activities for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students, and to support activities that encourage elementary, middle, and high-school youth to develop an interest in, and pursue, higher education and employment in the science, mathematics, and engineering career fields. These initiatives benefit the Department of the Air Force by cultivating a progressive pipeline of highly-trained and knowledgeable STEM professionals aimed at filling Department of the Air Force STEM workforce needs. This project seeks to cultivate STEM opportunities across the Department of the Air Force by supporting education and outreach activities that promote foundational knowledge building and experiential learning to inspire young students to pursue STEM-related career fields of critical importance to the Department of the Air Force.