# Foreign Comparative Testing — Program Element 0603133D8Z

**Program element:** 0603133D8Z  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603133D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide requests $25.0M 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 funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 29.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 27.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 25.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 25.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 26.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 27.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 27.5 |

> 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) | 25.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 25.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 25.0 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 313 | Foreign Comparative Testing | 29.5 | 27.7 | 25.0 | −10% |

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

### Project 313 — Foreign Comparative Testing

The Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program supports projects evaluating already developed technologies by Partner Nations, verifying performance and validating capability to meet U.S. needs. In doing so, the FCT program directly aligns to the National Defense Strategy (NDS) through increasing joint lethality in contested environments, strengthening partnerships, and fostering reform through delivery of capability at the speed of relevance. FCT individual projects typically average less than $1.00 million each and complete within 12-36 months. Projects are proposed by the Military Services and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and other U.S. Government agencies. Projects are selected using a merit-based process that identifies the most promising, innovative, and cost-effective solutions to meet warfighter requirements. Project selection process emphasizes transitioning technologies into current or future programs of record. Selection is also based on the potential to yield cost, schedule, or performance improvements over existing capabilities.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Collaboration and Experimentation (ICE) (formerly ICE Focus Areas) | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kill Web Interoperability Focus Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Resilient Communications Focus Area | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Sensors and Data Analytics Focus Area | 2.9 | 4.8 | 3.2 |
| Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy Focus Area | 3.5 | 3.2 | 4.0 |
| Contested Logistics / Sustainment Focus Area | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.2 |
| Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects Focus Area | 6.7 | 7.9 | 4.9 |
| Emerging Prototype and Enablers Focus Area | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.4 |

> 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 of War (DoW) initiatives to Defend the Homeland, Deter Strategic and Regional Aggression, rebuild the Joint Force and rebuild a resilient defense ecosystem. The Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) program supports the department's initiatives by testing mature equipment, munitions, and technologies of U.S. allies and partners. The program verifies the performance and validates the ability of foreign products to; satisfy U.S. military requirements, correct operational deficiencies, or meet other U.S. requirements. By leveraging the Research & Development (R&D) investments of international allies and partners, FCT program enables U.S.

## Related program elements

- [0203752A — Aircraft Engine Component Improvement Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0203752A) (Army)
- [0207268F — Aircraft Engine Component Improvement Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207268F) (Air Force)
- [0603288D8Z — Science and Technology (S&T) Analytic Assessments](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603288D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0606225D8Z — ODNA Technology & Resource Analysis](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0606225D8Z) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603133D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603133D8Z")`.

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