# Ground Advanced Technology — Program Element 0603119A

**Program element:** 0603119A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603119A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding falls 87% to a $25.0M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 60% (to $40.0M); the Senate added 88% (to $47.0M); House appropriators added 571% (to $168.0M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 84.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 187.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 25.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 37.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 45.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 44.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 45.6 |

> 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 | 25.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 40.0 | +15.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 47.0 | +22.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 168.0 | +143.0 |

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

## Projects (10)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL8 | Power Projection in A2AD Environments Adv Tech | 4.7 | 2.7 | 9.5 | +256% |
| BM1 | Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Adv Tech | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.6 | +5% |
| BL6 | Expedient Passive Protection Advanced Technology | 8.8 | 4.2 | 4.8 | +14% |
| DG2 | Advanced Development of Obscurants | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.5 | −5% |
| CV5 | Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Adv | 4.6 | 2.6 | 2.3 | −11% |
| DA2 | SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Advanced Tech | 6.2 | 3.3 | 0.4 | −88% |
| BO3 | MILITARY ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION (CA) | 47.5 | 156.5 | — | −100% |
| BK8 | Robotics for Engineer Operations Adv Tech | 2.8 | 6.0 | — | −100% |
| BL3 | Explosives Forensics Advanced Technology | 1.7 | 2.0 | — | −100% |
| DI8 | Environmental Security Resilience Adv Tech | 0.2 | 1.8 | — | −100% |

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

### Project BL8 — Power Projection in A2AD Environments Adv Tech

This project matures and demonstrates technologies to determine entry and maneuver corridors during all seasonal conditions including enhanced automated route reconnaissance technologies, ground vehicle mobility models, road capacity assessment technologies, and materiel solutions for enhancing maneuver and sustainment across air/land/sea domains. This research validates and demonstrates standoff robotic capabilities for Combat Engineers to reduce Soldier/Engineer risks and fatalities while conducting activities essential to shaping the environment to support movement and maneuver. This research will optimize threat detection capabilities against bio-engineered threats in the environment and investigate standoff threat detection capabilities enabling secure movement and maneuver. This project matures and demonstrates material solutions to repair, rebuild and construct infrastructure required for movement and maneuver in highly contested, complex operational environments. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL7 (Power Projection in A2AD Environments Technology). Work in this project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and Environmental Laboratory.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering for Battlespace Maneuver Demonstrations | 4.0 | — | — |
| Force Projection in Multi-Domain Operations Demonstrations | — | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| Advancing Threat Detection Capabilities in Mission Critical Environments | — | — | 1.5 |
| Maritime Contested Logistics Demonstrations | — | — | 0.7 |
| Semi-Autonomous Engr Ops Demonstration | — | — | 3.6 |
| Arctic-Capable Augmentation Kit (ACAK) | 0.7 | — | — |

> 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 BM1 — Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Adv Tech

This project matures and demonstrates structural hardening solutions and force protection technologies to increase survivability of facilities and provide critical updates to protective design specifications and guidance. Additionally, this project matures and demonstrates passive protection technologies and provides protective design criteria advancements to mitigate attack from emerging advanced threats. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL9 (Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Technology). Work in this project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protection from Advanced Penetrators Demonstration | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.6 |

> 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 BL6 — Expedient Passive Protection Advanced Technology

This project matures and demonstrates rapidly deployable protection solutions to protect the Warfighter and critical assets; methodologies for intuitive decision support; and tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase the survivability of personnel, critical assets, and facilities from a range of threats. Force protection technologies will be matured and demonstrated for applications in complex and contested environments to protect against a range of threats, to include improvised, conventional, and emerging weapons such as ballistic missiles. Develop and demonstrate protective structure design guidance to reduce blast overpressure (BOP) exposure to Warfighters using rapid analysis and characterization of blast environments and novel materials and structural solutions. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL5 (Expedient Passive Protection Technology). Work in this project supports the Army Science and Technology Ground Portfolio. Work in this project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessments of Solutions for Survivability from Emerging Threats Demonstrations | 5.8 | — | — |
| Deliberate Expedient Protection for Large-scale Operations Yielding Survivability (DEPLOYS) Demonstrations | — | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| Blast Overpressure Characterization and Mitigation for Training and Ops | 3.0 | — | — |

> 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 DG2 — Advanced Development of Obscurants

The project matures and demonstrates obscurant technologies with potential to enhance personnel and platform survivability by degrading threat force surveillance sensors and defeating the enemy's target acquisition devices, missile guidance, and directed energy weapons. Dissemination systems for new and improved obscurants are developed with the goal of providing efficient and safe screening of deployed forces. Work in this project compliments Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project DG1 (Development of Obscurants) Work in this project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Obscuration | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.5 |

> 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 CV5 — Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Adv

This effort matures and demonstrates decision support capabilities coupled with materiel solutions to modernize distributed logistics resupply, gap crossing site selection, and protection of personnel and critical assets associated with gap crossing operations in support of future engineer and sustainment operations. Additionally, the project will validate the complex algorithms accounting for terrain, hydrologic concerns, and dynamic environmental conditions including impacts of distributed operations on logistics and resupply routing and gap crossing site selection. Physical protection countermeasures supplemented by passive, persistent sensing technologies will be validated and optimized in support of layered protection capabilities for gap crossing and sustainment operations. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project CV3 (Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Apl). Work is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Geospatial Research Laboratory, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory and Information Technology Laboratory.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainment Planning Tool | 3.0 | — | — |
| Planning Logistics Analysis Network System Advanced Research | 1.7 | 2.2 | — |
| Worldwide Gap Analysis Program Demonstrations | — | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Gap Crossing Survivability Demonstrations | — | — | 1.3 |

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

### Project DA2 — SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Advanced Tech

This project matures and demonstrates cross-cutting, safer alternative advanced technologies that enable warfighter readiness. These technologies also support product availability, Soldier and worker safety, and a reduced environmental footprint in the manufacturing, maintenance, and use of ground vehicles and other Army weapon systems. The project matures and optimizes safer alternatives in technology areas including surface finishes, coatings, solvents, refrigerants, and fire suppressants. This research addresses the growing impacts to health and readiness associated with carcinogens such as hexavalent chromium, global warming chemicals including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and forever chemicals such as like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This Project enables the Army to assess and resolve these types of emerging and continually evolving risks throughout the full life cycle of Army systems. This project complements and transitions technologies developed under Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project DA1 (SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Applied Research). Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Armaments Center; the Aviation and Missile Center (AVMC); the Soldier Center (SC), and the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC)

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safer Alternatives for Readiness (SAFR) Advanced Technology | 4.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Corrosion Control | — | 1.8 | — |
| FLAMELESS USA | 2.0 | — | — |

> 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 BO3 — MILITARY ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION (CA)

Congressional Interest Item funding provided for Military Engineering Technology Demonstration. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy.

### Project BK8 — Robotics for Engineer Operations Adv Tech

This project matures and demonstrates robotic engineer equipment capabilities that can remotely characterize the environment and operate in the battlespace for autonomous Combat Engineer actions. This project provides technologies for Combat Engineer mission planning, creating or reducing barriers and obstacles, as well as maintaining, repairing, and constructing expedient infrastructure. These efforts will enhance Combat Engineer missions of mobility, counter mobility, and survivability through semi-autonomous or autonomous operations. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BK7 (Robotics for Engineer Operations Technology). Work in this project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Information Technology Laboratory, and Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Autonomous Engr Ops Demonstration | 2.8 | 6.0 | — |

> 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 BL3 — Explosives Forensics Advanced Technology

This will mature and demonstrate instrumentation and algorithms required to provide improved point, proximity, and stand-off detection of low levels of explosives and solid chemical hazards. This will enable the warfighter to integrate portable chemical and explosive hazard detection equipment. This project will also integrate explosive detection into the family of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear point and stand-off sensors, alternative chemical detection modalities and algorithms, that will improve the probability of detection and attribution of an explosive hazard or home-made explosive manufacturing/assembly location. Work in this project compliments Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL2 (Explosives Forensics Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of War Research and Engineering priority focus. Work in this Project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection Mechanisms for Contaminants | 1.7 | — | — |
| Forensic Analysis of Explosives Signatures Advanced Research | — | 2.0 | — |

> 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 DI8 — Environmental Security Resilience Adv Tech

This project matures and demonstrates capabilities to support Army Environmental Security, providing decisions and support tools for critical mission environments to address natural resource impediments, man-made stressors, extreme weather, and environmental engineering challenges that impact mission, infrastructure, training activities, deployment staging or present security concerns to operations. Project capabilities span the functional domains of strategic support area management, emergency preparedness, surge capacity, environmental impact on operations, and analysis of future operational environment and environmental threats. This effort will provide new material solutions, models and decision support tools for operational planning and infrastructure management. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (DI7) / Project (Environmental Security Resilience Tech). Work in this project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Environmental Laboratory, Construction Research Engineering Laboratory, and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFAS Risk Reduction Advanced Development | 0.2 | 1.3 | — |
| Ruggedized Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Ultra Light Electro-magnetic Array for Extreme Environments (DEMO) | — | 0.5 | — |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This PE matures and demonstrates ground movement and maneuver technologies that support and enable the Army's modernization priority for the Next Generation of Combat Vehicles. This PE also matures, integrates and demonstrates advanced technologies that are necessary and foundational for legacy and future ground platforms and ground maneuver. These technology areas include robotic and autonomous Army Combat Engineer equipment, liquid logistics (i.e., fuels, lubricants, and oils) and related monitoring and distribution, forensic analysis of explosives and other chemical materials, rapidly deployable passive protection technologies, entry and maneuver assessment technologies and structural…

## Related program elements

- [0603601F — Conventional Weapons Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603601F) (Air Force)
- [0603211F — Aerospace Technology Dev/Demo](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603211F) (Air Force)
- [0602144A — Ground Technology](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602144A) (Army)
- [1203164SF — Military Global Positioning System USER EQUIP](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203164SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603119A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603119A")`.

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