# Mission Engineering and Integration (ME&I) — Program Element 0603142D8Z

**Program element:** 0603142D8Z  
**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/0603142D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide funding ramps 88% to a $144.5M 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 cut 3.0% (to $140.1M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 101.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 76.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 144.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 171.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 144.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 143.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 137.2 |

> 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 | 144.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 144.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 144.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 140.1 | −4.3 |

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

## Projects (4)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | Mission Engineering & Integration | 0.0 | 0.0 | 81.0 | new start |
| 124 | Advanced Analysis and Capability Development | 90.1 | 61.7 | 49.9 | −19% |
| 123 | Mission Engineering and Integration | 0.0 | 15.1 | 13.6 | −10% |
| 953 | Multi-Domain Joint Operations | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |

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

### Project 308 — Mission Engineering & Integration

Mission Description and Budget Item Justification

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warfighter Analysis & Rapid Prototyping through Applied Technology Hubs (WARPATH) | — | — | 81.0 |

> 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 124 — Advanced Analysis and Capability Development

Advanced Analysis and Capability Development (A2CD): Continues the execution of advanced analysis under the JLE initiative and development and use of an advanced hardware, software, and Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information/Special Access Program (TS/SCI/SAP) network architecture to conduct fully informed analysis, experimentation, and process improvement to accelerate the Department’s capability development and fielding efforts. Effort focuses on two areas. 1. Joint Lethality Engineering (JLE) (formerly designated as Advanced Concept Development): Research and analysis efforts to solve specific critical military challenges and drive Department investment decisions that enhance the effectiveness of systems against adversarial threats. Activities span across all security levels, domains, and Service warfighting architectures. Additional classified information available upon request. (**FY 2026 only; in FY 2027 realigning to MDJO PE 0604791D8Z) 2. Joint Capability Development Environment (JCDE): Advanced Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Technology and Tool Development and Modeling and Simulation Big Play – have been consolidated into an effort entitled Joint Capability Development Environment (JCDE) to provide a more unified and efficient development approach, afforded by previous accomplishments; advances in fully informed, all domain modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities; and improved analysis and experimentation methods. JCDE provides a hardware, software, and TS/SCI/SAP network architecture designed to accelerate the Department’s ability to conduct rapid capability development and fielding. The JCDE provides industry, the DoW, FFRDC/UARCs, and international partners access to advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and a multi-level security (MLS) enabled data/knowledge repository to enable rigorous, rapid analysis and experimentation in support of capability development and military utility analysis and experimentation. The JCDE also includes a development environment that enables the continuous creation and improvement of advanced M&S tools and corresponding analysis/experimentation processes.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Lethality Engineering (formerly designated as Advanced Concept Development) | 19.3 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Advanced Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Technology and Tool Development | 49.5 | 0.0 | — |
| Modeling and Simulation Big Play | 7.7 | 0.0 | — |
| Joint Capability Development Environment (JCDE) | — | 52.2 | 49.9 |
| Mission Engineering and Integration | 13.6 | — | — |

> 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 123 — Mission Engineering and Integration

Mission Engineering and Integration is a strategically driven, mission-focused framework designed to synchronize concepts, requirements, research and engineering, budget, and programs across the DoW, integrating cross-Service capabilities to deliver timely and accurate end-to-end mission effects. It performs the following functions: • Carries out responsibilities described in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2017, Section 855 (Mission Integration Management) by conducting rigorous mission engineering activities to identify and prioritize investments in capabilities with the greatest potential to meet current and future warfighting needs, address warfighting gaps and joint operational problems, and enable Joint Force interoperability and integration. • Executes a variety of Joint Force Integration Mission Engineering analyses and studies in support of the National Defense Strategy—aligned with Defense Planning Scenarios and Key Operational Problems—that evaluate the mission impacts of integrating new technologies and capabilities into critical warfighter missions. • Harnesses modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and advanced techniques to develop and analyze critical Joint Mission Engineering Threads (METs)/“Kill Webs” in operational scenarios, enabling DoW leaders to make informed technology investment decisions. • Develops digital, reusable, enterprise-level Joint METs that are used to assess and evaluate system-of-systems dependencies and risks in executing end-to-end missions. • Maintains the Mission Engineering Guide and related guidance, and leads the Mission Engineering Practitioners Forum to share lessons learned, pain points, and advance the state of the practice of Mission Engineering. • Increases collaboration with industry by utilizing technical information exchange agreements to share sensitive data. These efforts identify material solutions that address operational gaps and mission requirements, building public-private partnerships that inform technology, modernization, research, and applied engineering investments.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Engineering and Integration | 0.0 | 15.1 | 13.6 |

> 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 953 — Multi-Domain Joint Operations

Assess warfighter gaps and operational problems to align technology investments and accelerate transition of joint capabilities. Provide analytic recommendations to senior leaders to inform defense budget priorities.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Domain Joint Operations | 11.0 | — | — |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Mission Engineering and Integration (ME&I) is a strategically driven, mission-focused DoW framework to synchronize resources and integrate cross-service capabilities to achieve timely and accurate mission effects. It fulfills responsibilities outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY17, Section 855 by prioritizing investments in capabilities that address warfighting needs, interoperability, and joint operational problems through rigorous mission engineering activities. To achieve its goals, ME&I conducts Joint Force Integration Mission Engineering studies that align with the National Defense Strategy, Defense Planning Scenarios, and Key Operational Problems.

## Related program elements

- [0605513N — Unmanned Surface Vehicle Enabling Capabilities](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605513N) (Navy)
- [0305179F — Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305179F) (Air Force)
- [0205601N — Anti-radiation Missile Improvement](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0205601N) (Navy)
- [0306250JCY — Cyber Operations Technology Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0306250JCY) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603142D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603142D8Z")`.

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