# National Defense Education Program (NDEP) — Program Element 0601120D8Z

**Program element:** 0601120D8Z  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 1 — Basic Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601120D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide requests $165.5M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 30% (to $215.5M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 161.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 159.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 165.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 176.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 178.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 183.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 188.9 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 165.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 215.5 | +50.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 165.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 165.5 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | National Defense Education Program (NDEP) | 161.3 | 159.0 | 165.5 | +4% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 120 — National Defense Education Program (NDEP)

NDEP activities provide authentic DoW-relevant learning experiences through a variety of initiatives in the form of scholarships, internships, enrichment activities, project/research-based competitions, and mentorships. NDEP programs span across all age groups, including kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12), postsecondary, undergraduate, and graduate students and educators (holistically termed “Pre-K to Career”). The SMART Program enables the Department to transform its STEM workforce while addressing near-term workforce demands. Per 10 U.S. Code 4093, the SMART program awards highly competitive scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in any of the 22 STEM academic disciplines critical to national security, and hires the students, upon graduation, into DoW's civilian workforce for a one-for-one service commitment. SMART scholars are hired to perform many aspects of the national security mission including S&T/R&D, manufacturing, test and evaluation, maintenance and in-service support, medical research, warfighter support, infrastructure and construction, material decommission and disposal, and intelligence gathering and analysis activities. The SMART program ensures the Department has a steady infusion of high-quality technical talent, prepared in areas of critical importance, and ready to apply their technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill the DoW mission. As part of the SMART experience, scholars engage in internships that allow for relevant hands-on research and work experiences in DoW facilities and international partner research institutions, thereby enhancing their educational experience. Through an annual competitive SEED award, SMART offers transitioning Ph.D. scholars an opportunity to establish a foundational research and engineering effort in their area of expertise aligned with a DoW mission or critical technology area and supporting their development into subject matter experts. Additionally, per FY 2021 NDAA Sec. 250, SMART also offers a competitive funding opportunity through the Creative Research & Engineering Advancing Technical Excellence in STEM (CREATES) award to expand and enhance connections and opportunities between the SMART program, SMART scholars, SMART sponsoring facilities, and students and faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program | 134.2 | 120.7 | 130.7 |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Workforce Development | 25.0 | 23.3 | 4.5 |
| Biotechnology (BIOTECH) Education Program | 2.0 | — | — |
| Joint Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) K-12 Education | — | — | 30.3 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This program supports the Department's priorities to improve lethality, warfighting, and readiness by developing America’s future technical workforce poised to create advanced technologies, tools, and capabilities necessary to ensure the U.S. military remains the most powerful and advanced, capable of deterring adversaries and protecting American interests at home and abroad.

## Related program elements

- [0607757D8Z — Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational System Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0607757D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [1203873SF — Sensor Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203873SF) (Space Force)
- [0602668D8Z — Cyber Security Research](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602668D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0604414F — Cyber Resiliency of Weapon Systems-ACS](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604414F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0601120D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0601120D8Z")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*