# Project 1505 — Human & Biological Systems

**Program element:** 0601153N — Defense Research Sciences  
**Project:** 1505  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 1 — Basic Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N/1505  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N

## Summary

Project 1505 — Human & Biological Systems requests $30.8M in FY2027, 5.9% of the $525.4M requested for program element 0601153N, down 32% on FY2026. 9 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 45.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 30.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 30.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 32.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 33.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 32.3 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0601153N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 1505 buys

Human and Biological Systems conducts fundamental research to enhance performance and effectiveness of naval personnel, technologies, and systems. This will integrate the complex relationships amongst humans, biological systems, and technology to develop revolutionary solutions that enhance physical and cognitive performance, safety, casualty care, training and readiness and reduce vulnerabilities in all domains.

## Activities (R-2A) — 9

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warfighter Decision Superiority and Readiness | 0.0 | 8.3 | 8.5 | +2% | — |
| Sailor Health and Performance | 0.0 | 4.2 | 8.0 | +91% | — |
| Biosciences, Bioengineering, and Synthetic Biology | 0.0 | 6.8 | 7.2 | +7% | — |
| Human-Level Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy | 0.0 | 4.9 | 4.6 | −6% | — |
| Bio-Inspired Systems and Soft Robotics | 0.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | −14% | — |
| Expeditionary Biomedical | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | −100% | — |
| Expeditionary Naval Engineering | 0.0 | 2.9 | 0.0 | −100% | — |
| Physiological Monitoring and Modeling | 0.0 | 10.7 | 0.0 | −100% | — |
| Warfighter Lethality and Survivability | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | −100% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Warfighter Decision Superiority and Readiness

**FY2027 planned work.** Analytics, Modeling and Simulation for Local and Regional Situation Awareness - Complete research to understand effective communications strategies in the face of information conflict. - Complete research to improve current methods (e.g., algorithms, models) for detecting adversarial information maneuvers across social media platforms. - Complete case study research to develop forecast models on human behavior that leverage artificial intelligence relevant to complex mission planning. - Complete research to understand effective leadership decision making in the face of information conflict, modeling human behavior, and the perception of information and cyber warfare. - Continue multidisciplinary basic research efforts regarding national security issues, hybrid warfare, and related issues to address information advantage. - Continue research efforts exploring methods and techniques to detect, mitigate, blunt, and defeat influence campaigns. - Continue research to create models and simulations for modeling and simulation of information warfare. - Continue innovative research in counterfactual modeling for military mission planning. - Initiate research to develop course-of-action decision support in complex operations in the information environment. - Initiate research on network graph approaches to threat assessment in the information environment to include multi-disciplinary research to address problems of detecting and mitigating multiple forms of cyberattack and information warfare. Training and Education for Naval Readiness - Complete investigation of the neuro-cognitive processes of attention, discover the mechanisms underlying its control, and explore cognitive models of attention control. - Complete research to expand theories and establish validated predictive models of destructive social behaviors (e.g., attempting suicide, compulsive activities, risky behavior, overusing alcohol, toxic leadership). - Complete studies to investigate attention control techniques to enhance task focus and content mastery during training and operations. - Continue research efforts to increase understanding and validity of Navy leader/leadership assessment and development. - Continue research efforts to increase understanding of psychometric properties of selection/assessment for high performing service members. - Continue research exploring innovative technologies for real-time sensing and observation of individual behavioral responses to social and operational stressors. - Continue to study the use of artificial intelligence-based approaches for adaptive training, tailored to individual learners. - Continue studies in science of learning that are unique to Live, Virtual, and Constructive environments to increase training effectiveness. - Initiate research to validate new approaches and assessments of human characteristics and behavior with fleet-relevant metrics. - Initiate research emerging technology capability to support, expand, and improve leadership assessment and development. - Initiate research to understand neurological and physiological measurements to optimize selection and assignment of personnel across Naval environments.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** There is no significant funding change from FY 2026 to FY 2027.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Analytics, Modeling and Simulation for Local and Regional Situation Awareness - Complete research investigations regarding mechanisms of crowd manipulation, social hysteria, rumor and propaganda in online and offline audiences. - Complete research efforts to develop models on the impact of spreading false information and geo-political shifts on the future of conflict in the next decade. - Complete research on novel socio-computational techniques to model audience resilience to persuasion, propaganda, and influence campaigns. - Complete research to develop understanding of how influence campaigns in digital and social media affect decision making. - Complete research of emerging and novel threats in cyberspace and in key military operations to include civil stability, and countering influence operations. - Complete research of understanding the anthropological, sociological and socio-psychological factors that alter the effects of influence operations against US interests abroad. - Complete research efforts exploring methods and techniques to detect, mitigate, blunt, and defeat influence campaigns. - Complete research investigations of country-centric, descriptive and computational models of national resource and security issues to lay the foundation for forecast models relevant to military missions. - Complete research efforts to address novel conflict problems such as water security, information warfare, and basic research in social shifts relevant to national security issues, hybrid warfare and other novel conflict problems. - Continue multidisciplinary basic research efforts regarding national security issues, hybrid warfare, and related issues to address information advantage. - Continue research to improve current methods (e.g., algorithms, models) for detecting adversarial information maneuvers across social media platforms. - Continue case study research to develop forecast models on human behavior that leverage artificial intelligence. - Continue research to understand effective leadership decision making in the face of information conflict, modeling human behavior, and the perception of information and cyber warfare. - Continue research to understand effective communications strategies in the face of information conflict. - Initiate research to create models and simulations for modeling and simulation of information warfare. - Initiate innovative research in counterfactual modeling for military mission planning. Training and Education for Naval Readiness - Complete exploration of the role of attention in intelligent sensing with a focus on radiated acoustic signals in noisy environments. - Complete research to improve analytical approaches to understand human behavior based on real world data. - Complete research to understand fundamentals of unit behavioral health (e.g. team dynamics, command/organizational performance). - Continue to study the use of artificial intelligence-based approaches for adaptive training, tailored to individual learners. - Continue to investigate the neuro-cognitive processes of attention, discover the mechanisms underlying its control, and explore cognitive models of attention control. - Continue research efforts to increase understanding of psychometric properties of selection/assessment for high performing service members. - Continue research to expand theories and establish validated predictive models of destructive social behaviors (e.g., attempting suicide, compulsive activities, risky behavior, overusing alcohol, toxic leadership). - Continue research exploring innovative technologies for real-time sensing and observation of individual behavioral responses to social and operational stressors. - Continue studies to investigate attention control techniques to enhance task focus and content mastery during training and operations. - Continue studies in science of learning that are unique to Live, Virtual, and Constructive environments to increase training effectiveness. - Initiate research efforts to increase understanding and validity of Navy leader/leadership assessment and development.

### Sailor Health and Performance

**FY2027 planned work.** - Complete research efforts into fundamental concepts underlying passive and/or automated personnel location and proof of life technologies for personnel lost at sea. - Complete the development of programmable microbes that increase heat production in response to temperature decreases in the animal or human body. - Complete exploration of the ability to predict injury-induced physiological states in combat casualties using microelectronic sensors to guide medical control systems. - Continue development of human performance algorithms using biosensors and microelectronics to detect fatigue, loss of attention, physiological states and environmental conditions. - Continue studies to address current fundamental physiological (e.g. frostbite) and cognitive challenges with operations in extreme cold or austere Naval environments. - Continue studies to address fundamental conceptual challenges underlying personal protective technology gaps with operations in extreme cold or austere Naval environments. - Continue studies to enhance our understanding of human physiology that leverage insights from comparative physiology studies of marine mammals in the undersea environment. - Continue research efforts to bridge fundamental gaps related to real-time sensing and observation of individual responses to environmental and operational stressors. - Continue research to identify novel approaches to support underwater breathing apparatus, utilizing resources naturally present in the ocean for gas management. - Continue fundamental research to understand the pulmonary physiology of exposure to altered levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. - Continue research to explore new expeditionary use-cases for Navy's marine life. - Continue research into modeling efforts to inform design of Sailor-centric devices (e.g., Naval aircraft seating, Naval personal protective equipment) and interfaces (e.g., autonomous evacuation platforms) to enhance protection and health of Sailors and Marines. - Continue medical research to prevent physiological degradation and improve survivability at point of injury in the maritime environment. - Initiate research to characterize cognitive response under pressure exposures and various gas mix breathing. - Initiate exploration of injury exacerbation and resuscitation needs during autonomous casualty evacuation of Sailors and Marines.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The increase in funding from FY2026 to FY2027 is due to merging the Warfighter Lethality and Survivability planned program in PE 0601153N Defense Research Sciences Project 1505 with the Naval Force Health Protection Planned Program to align research efforts with strategic planning documentation. The funding increase will be used to expand modeling efforts to inform design of Sailor-centric devices (e.g., Naval aircraft seating, Naval personal protective equipment) and interfaces (e.g., autonomous evacuation platforms) to enhance protection and health of Sailors and Marines.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete studies to enhance our understanding of human physiology that leverage insights from comparative physiology studies of marine mammals in the undersea environment. - Complete the development of computational models of the cellular metabolism in high oxygen and carbon dioxide conditions as experienced by Naval divers. - Complete research efforts to examine the impact of an acutely stressful environment on the function of the stress response system. - Continue research efforts into fundamental concepts underlying passive and/or automated personnel location and proof of life technologies for personnel lost at sea. - Continue research efforts to bridge fundamental gaps related to real-time sensing and observation of individual responses to environmental and operational stressors. - Continue research to identify novel approaches to support underwater breathing apparatus, utilizing resources naturally present in the ocean for gas management. - Continue fundamental research to understand the pulmonary physiology of exposure to altered levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. - Continue studies to explore use of porous liquids as novel gas management for biomedical applications to include Nitrogen capture for Decompression Sickness mitigation. - Continue research into modeling efforts to inform design of Sailor-centric devices and interfaces to enhance Sailor and Marine protection and health. - Continue to explore the ability to predict injury-induced physiological states in combat casualties using microelectronic sensors to guide medical control systems. - Continue medical research to prevent physiological degradation and improve survivability at point of injury in the maritime environment. - Initiate the development of programmable microbes that increase heat production in response to temperature decreases in the animal or human body. - Initiate research to explore new expeditionary use-cases for Navy's marine life.

### Biosciences, Bioengineering, and Synthetic Biology

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue basic research efforts utilizing microbes and biological components for development of materials. - Continue using biotechnology and bioengineering to explore new pathways for the biosynthesis of Naval relevant compounds at point of need. - Continue basic research efforts to understand how to develop domestic biomanufacturing routes for specialty chemicals and advanced materials critical for defense, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and vulnerable supply chains. - Continue exploration of bio-based solutions for protecting personnel and equipment from harmful agents and biofouling, enhancing operational readiness. - Continue innovative, biologically derived methods that will protect naval assets from degradation, and maintain operational readiness in challenging Naval environments. - Continue basic research to identify specialized biocatalysts capable of breaking down waste and contaminants in extreme cold environments, enabling sustained Naval operations in arctic regions.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding increase from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to an increased investment in efforts exploring bio-based solutions for protecting personnel and equipment from harmful agents and identifying specialized biocatalysts capable of breaking down waste and contaminants in extreme cold environments.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete research to understand how to leverage biological components, processes, and systems to develop energy, electronic, and sensing systems powered by biology. - Complete discovery of novel engineering methods to characterize constitutive properties of human organs, tissues and soft materials (e.g. viscoelasticity, thermal expansion, gas solubility). - Complete to enhance modeling and simulation capabilities to create a bio-accurate human digital twin as a component of the design of ships, submarines, aircrafts and other platforms. - Continue basic research efforts utilizing microbes and biological components for materials synthesis (e.g. structural, color changing, thermal resistance). - Continue using synthetic biology and bioengineering to explore new pathways for the biosynthesis of Naval relevant compounds at point of need. - Initiate basic research efforts to understand how to develop domestic biomanufacturing routes for specialty chemicals and advanced materials critical for defense, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and vulnerable supply chains. - Initiate exploration of bio-based solutions for protecting personnel and equipment from harmful agents and biofouling, enhancing operational readiness. - Initiate innovative, biologically derived methods that will protect naval assets from degradation, and maintain operational readiness in challenging Naval environments. - Initiate basic research to identify specialized biocatalysts capable of breaking down waste and contaminants in extreme cold environments, enabling sustained Naval operations in arctic regions.

### Human-Level Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue research efforts to explore training of terrestrial robots using machine learning and human demonstration to perform complex skills, door opening, and use of stair railings. - Continue research exploring the combination of robot mobility with dexterous manipulation in assisting humans on Naval relevant tasks, such as shipboard maintenance. - Continue research regarding human-machine speech communication and computational modeling to support the framework and architectures necessary to develop higher-level collaboration in robotic and autonomous systems. - Continue research to understand the psychological foundation of human intelligence that enables cognitive functions, such as communication, social interaction, and context understanding.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to a reduced investment in human-machine speech communication and computational modeling.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete research investigations regarding principles of warfighter collaboration with autonomous and mission-capable robotic systems. - Complete research that explores the neural basis of the control of reaching, grasping and manipulation to inform robotics. - Continue research efforts to explore training of terrestrial robots using machine learning and human demonstration to perform complex skills, door opening, and use of stair railings. - Continue research exploring the combination of robot mobility with dexterous manipulation in assisting humans on Naval relevant tasks, such as shipboard maintenance. - Continue research regarding human-machine speech communication and computational modeling to support the framework and architectures necessary to develop higher-level collaboration in robotic and autonomous systems. - Continue research to understand the psychological foundation of human intelligence that enables cognitive functions, such as communication, social interaction, and context understanding.

### Bio-Inspired Systems and Soft Robotics

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue basic research efforts utilizing microbes and biological components for development of materials. - Continue using biotechnology and bioengineering to explore new pathways for the biosynthesis of Naval relevant compounds at point of need. - Continue basic research efforts to understand how to develop domestic biomanufacturing routes for specialty chemicals and advanced materials critical for defense, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and vulnerable supply chains. - Continue exploration of bio-based solutions for protecting personnel and equipment from harmful agents and biofouling, enhancing operational readiness. - Continue innovative, biologically derived methods that will protect naval assets from degradation, and maintain operational readiness in challenging Naval environments. - Continue basic research to identify specialized biocatalysts capable of breaking down waste and contaminants in extreme cold environments, enabling sustained Naval operations in arctic regions.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to a reduced investment in experimental sensing capabilities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete research to understand how to leverage biological components, processes, and systems to develop energy, electronic, and sensing systems powered by biology. - Complete discovery of novel engineering methods to characterize constitutive properties of human organs, tissues and soft materials (e.g. viscoelasticity, thermal expansion, gas solubility). - Complete to enhance modeling and simulation capabilities to create a bio-accurate human digital twin as a component of the design of ships, submarines, aircrafts and other platforms. - Continue basic research efforts utilizing microbes and biological components for materials synthesis (e.g. structural, color changing, thermal resistance). - Continue using synthetic biology and bioengineering to explore new pathways for the biosynthesis of Naval relevant compounds at point of need. - Initiate basic research efforts to understand how to develop domestic biomanufacturing routes for specialty chemicals and advanced materials critical for defense, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and vulnerable supply chains. - Initiate exploration of bio-based solutions for protecting personnel and equipment from harmful agents and biofouling, enhancing operational readiness. - Initiate innovative, biologically derived methods that will protect naval assets from degradation, and maintain operational readiness in challenging Naval environments. - Initiate basic research to identify specialized biocatalysts capable of breaking down waste and contaminants in extreme cold environments, enabling sustained Naval operations in arctic regions.

### Expeditionary Biomedical

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to the realignment and consolidation of all expeditionary funding under PE 0601153N to the new Expeditionary Campaigns project number 1510 within this PE. Planned programs have been updated to align to current expeditionary and marine corps priorities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete fundamental research towards autonomous casualty care for severe trauma in austere conditions with the intent to gain the understanding needed to extend the survivability window for acute traumatic injuries significantly beyond the 'golden hour'. (Expeditionary Warfare)

### Expeditionary Naval Engineering

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to the realignment and consolidation of all expeditionary funding under PE 0601153N to the new Expeditionary Campaigns project number 1510 within this PE. Planned programs have been updated to align to current expeditionary and marine corps priorities.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete efforts to study the complex energy-supply problem with deployed vehicles in contested environments en-route to developing a novel decision-support framework for planning and managing adaptive transportation systems for naval logistics. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research for modeling autonomy, for the purpose of creating systems that operate in complex undersea/surface/ land/air/space domains. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research methods that model how diverse autonomous systems interact with each other in complex environments. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research investigations regarding the creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) hybrid learning theories for the purpose of creating heterogeneous multi-agent collaborative autonomy. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research to create theories for multi-agent collaborative autonomy that mimic the organizational principles found in social insects/birds/fishes. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete a follow-on and focused research effort for the machine learning investigation of multifactorial information environment parameters in order to automate the process of detecting, identifying and distinguishing intent. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research to study novel collaborative methods for swarming autonomous entities to reliably determine true/relative position in GPS-denied operations. (Expeditionary Warfare) - Complete research investigations regarding learning theories to enable complex, collaborative, human-machine interactions. - Complete research efforts on means and methods for evaluating the reliability and effectiveness of collective decision making by autonomous systems and humans. - Complete work in immersive sciences to generate 3D objects via photogrammetry and generative artificial intelligence techniques, and to conduct research studies to optimize user interfaces and information displays to increase understanding and use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies for naval applications.

### Physiological Monitoring and Modeling

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The decrease in funding from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is due to completion of biomanufacturing science research and design of biometric materials.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete research into Biomanufacturing Science. Biomanufacturing utilizes biological processes for the synthesis of materials, including harnessing existing cellular production, isolation and utilization of cellular components or pathways, and modification of cellular systems to develop and optimize novel pathways or products. - Complete research efforts into Biology, Materials and Warfighter Interfaces to develop an understanding of the essential components and approaches needed for control of biomaterial properties as well as function, enabling novel sensing and signaling, cellular reprogramming, and design of biomimetic materials.

### Warfighter Lethality and Survivability

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease due to realignment of resources to Sailor Health and Performance portfolio.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete research investigations to characterize novel physiologic signal monitoring capabilities. - Complete studies of optimal performance techniques in high-stress maritime environments such as firefighting afloat. - Complete research to enhance and quantify warfighter physiological performance for improved capabilities across military operations. - Complete research on wearable materials either on skin or clothing to meet current and future naval needs in different settings. - Complete development of human performance algorithms using biosensors and microelectronics to detect fatigue, loss of attention, physiological states and environmental conditions. - Complete studies to address current fundamental physiological (e.g. frostbite) and cognitive challenges with operations in extreme cold or austere environments. - Complete studies to address fundamental conceptual challenges underlying personal protective technology gaps with operations in extreme cold or austere environments.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0601153N project 1505 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0601153N")`.

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