# Warfighting Performance — Program Element 0602024E

**Program element:** 0602024E  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602024E

## Summary

Defense-Wide funding ramps 18% to a $364.1M 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 added 5.9% (to $385.6M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 307.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 364.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 381.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 407.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 412.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 419.2 |

> 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 | 364.1 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 364.1 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 364.1 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 385.6 | +21.5 |

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

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP-02 | BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY | 0.0 | 166.5 | 190.0 | +14% |
| WP-01 | BIOLOGICALLY BASED MATERIALS AND DEVICES | 0.0 | 125.7 | 147.0 | +17% |
| WP-07 | WARFIGHTING PERFORMANCE SUPPORT | 0.0 | 15.5 | 27.1 | +75% |

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

### Project WP-02 — BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

The Biomedical Technology project focuses on applied research for medical related technologies that will maintain warfighter health and performance before, during, or after operations. Successful technologies within this project will maintain warfighter health against emerging threats through novel biothreat detection, rapid medical countermeasure identification and development, and distributed production of effective therapeutics. In-theater, warfighter health will be maintained through the development of field-relevant technologies such as reliable and accessible critical medical resources, novel detection and protection capabilities for traumatic brain injury, and rapid, effective triage of battlefield injuries. Additionally, this project will improve warfighter readiness by characterizing and assaying physical and cognitive performance to drive data-driven awareness. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0602115E, Project BT-01.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioElectronics to Sense and Treat (BEST) | — | 16.7 | 14.2 |
| Novel Delivery Technology for Medical Countermeasures | — | 19.0 | 12.1 |
| Alert WARfighter Enablement (AWARE) | — | 12.1 | 6.1 |
| Reengineering Enabling Sleep Transitions in Operationally Restrictive Environments (RESTORE) | — | 6.5 | 5.7 |
| Controlled Genome Protection | — | 7.4 | 5.4 |
| Red Blood Cell Factory (RBC-Factory) | — | 10.1 | 5.3 |
| GOLDen hour extended EVACuation (GOLDEVAC) | — | 18.5 | 4.9 |
| Generative Optogenetics (GO) | — | 15.6 | 28.0 |
| Medics Autonomously Stopping Hemorrhage (MASH) | — | 9.2 | 14.0 |
| Protean | — | 6.5 | 15.7 |
| Smart Red Blood Cells (Smart-RBC) | — | 4.0 | 21.2 |
| Biomedical Technology Studies and Concepts | — | 10.3 | 57.2 |
| Rapid Battlefield Triage | — | 20.1 | — |
| Next-Generation Combat Casualty Care | — | 10.5 | — |

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

### Project WP-01 — BIOLOGICALLY BASED MATERIALS AND DEVICES

The Biologically Based Materials and Devices project will leverage the growing application space of the biological sciences for the development of new DoW capabilities to improve the sustainability of warfighters and operational platforms in varied domains. This project will develop solutions for critical resource processing, materials development, threat detection and characterization, and warfighter resilience to infectious disease. The materials and technologies developed through this project will protect and sustain warfighters and operations in austere conditions, enhancing warfighter resiliency and lethality. Prior to FY 2026, efforts in this Project were funded in PE 0602715E, Project MBT-02.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turning Upcycled Waste into Novel, Sustainable Materials | — | 15.1 | 11.7 |
| eX Virentia (eXVi) | — | 12.5 | 12.8 |
| Biological Undersea Energy | — | 13.6 | 5.4 |
| Strengthening Resilient Emotions and Nimble Cognition Through Engineering Neuroplasticity (STRENGTHEN) | — | 9.0 | 0.6 |
| Biotechnology for Challenging Environments | — | 6.1 | 5.0 |
| Field Forward Biothreat Storage Solutions for Force Protection | — | 11.6 | 2.5 |
| Genetic Utilization for Advanced Regulation and Defense of Indigenous And Native Species (GUARDIAN) | — | 9.0 | 25.3 |
| BioFuse | — | 6.3 | 33.6 |
| Fleetwood | — | — | 20.0 |
| Biologically Based Materials and Devices Studies and Concepts | — | — | 30.1 |
| Materiel Protection through Biologics | — | 5.8 | — |
| Environmental Microbes as a Bioengineering Resource (EMBER) | — | 1.7 | — |

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

### Project WP-07 — WARFIGHTING PERFORMANCE SUPPORT

The Warfighting Performance Support project contains management costs in support of DARPA functions and activities across the entire Warfighting Performance PE. These costs include: DARPA classified and unclassified network support and equipment; contractor support; classified program security; building security; commercial transition services that increase the likelihood that DARPA-funded technologies remain in the U.S. and provide new capabilities for national defense; DARPA outreach to universities and industry; external contracting, financial and support fees; Program Manager Intragovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Funding; Program Managers from other Government Agencies; and similar operating expenses. Agency support is allocated on a pro-rata basis across the Agency's BA1, BA2 and BA3 PEs and, therefore, fluctuates per PE by fiscal year based on the total Agency budget in that fiscal year. Prior to FY 2026, support requirements in this Project were funded in PE 0602715E, Project MBT-02, and PE 0602115E, Project BT-01.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The efforts described in this Program Element (PE) address the Applied Research associated with the Warfighting Performance program that is focused on developing biologically based materials and biological technologies that make possible a wide range of new military capabilities. This PE also supports innovation and robust transition planning in the technology cycle by working with entrepreneurs to increase the likelihood that DARPA funded technologies take root in the U.S. and provide new capabilities for national defense.

## Related program elements

- [0602715E — Materials AND Biological Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602715E) (Defense-Wide)
- [0602716E — Electronics Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602716E) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603724N — Navy Energy Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603724N) (Navy)
- [0604286N — (u)navy Advanced Manufacturing](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604286N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0602024E (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602024E")`.

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