# Project EN3 — Enabling Investments (ATD)

**Program element:** 0603384BP — Chemical and Biological Defense Program - Advanced Development  
**Project:** EN3  
**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/0603384BP/EN3  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603384BP

## Summary

Project EN3 — Enabling Investments (ATD) requests $89.3M in FY2027, 29% of the $310.3M requested for program element 0603384BP, up 383% on FY2026. 6 R-2A activities decompose the request, 2 new this cycle.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 17.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 18.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 89.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 29.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 29.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 30.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 30.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603384BP; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project EN3 buys

The Enabling Investments Advanced Technology Development (ATD) Project focuses on early and continued involvement of the warfighter in the technology development process and has implemented a user community engagement process to align science and technology (S&T) activities with operational needs and ensure functional design. This process begins with the identification of an innovative technology concept, continues through the assessment of the prototype, and ends at the operational and utility demonstrations to enhance transition to an advanced developer. Enabling efforts in this area support dedicated infrastructure capabilities, demonstrations, and overarching development support functions as portfolio enablers responding to emerging threats. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis (2) Forward Element Experimentation and Prototyping (3) Forge High Performance Computing (FHPC) (4) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) (5) Technology Concepts (6) User Assessment

## Activities (R-2A) — 6

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3) Forge High Performance Computing | — | — | 60.0 | new | [a2](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603384BP/EN3/a2) |
| 2) CBRND Forward Element Experimentation and Prototyping | — | — | 11.0 | new | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603384BP/EN3/a1) |
| 1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis | 7.2 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +0% | — |
| 4) Advanced Technology Demonstration | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.2 | +2% | — |
| 5) Technology Concepts | 1.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 | −13% | — |
| 6) User Assessment | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | +6% | — |

> 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.

### 3) Forge High Performance Computing — NEW START

- Significantly scale the on premise and cloud compute capacity across different classification levels. - Work across interagency to create unified, AI-ready, and scalable data architecture and ecosystem. Ingest government, public, and private datasets into an High Performance Computing (HPC) environment. - Develop advanced AI tools and…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603384BP/EN3/a2

### 2) CBRND Forward Element Experimentation and Prototyping — NEW START

Design and execute advanced technology development and experiments with USINDOPACOM and CBRND units and other applicable stakeholders to refine subsystem development, to include integrated early warning capabilities, and integrate CBRND experimentation into Combatant Command field exercises. Experimentation efforts funded by this program…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603384BP/EN3/a1

### 1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis

**FY2027 planned work.** - Advance fit-for-purpose model development specifically designed for biodefense applications, rigorously tailored to its defined regulatory and research context of use. - Conduct comprehensive evaluation and qualification of human and animal microphysiological/organoid model systems through direct comparative analysis against traditional models, organ-specific platforms, immune system mimetics, and human clinical data to establish fit-for-purpose validation. - Perform systematic evaluation of medical countermeasures (prophylaxis and therapeutics) using qualified microphysiological/organoid testing platforms to generate fit-for-purpose safety and efficacy data suitable for US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory submission. - Develop a comprehensive decision-making framework specifically designed to demonstrate fit-for-purpose qualification, enhance regulatory acceptance, and establish scientific confidence in alternative platform utilization for defined contexts of use.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue to advance developed alternative models for validation. - Continue validation of developed alternative model systems for direct comparison of traditional models, organ tissue equivalents, immune system mimics, and human to bridge the data between new and traditional models. - Continue engagement with regulatory agency for model validation. - Continue evaluation of medical countermeasures (prophylaxis and therapeutics) using alternative evaluation platforms for efficacy and safety for submission to the Food and Drug Administration.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Established a consortium dedicated to achieving "fit-for-purpose" qualification standards for alternative models, ensuring regulatory-appropriate validation for specific applications. - Validated proof-of-concept demonstrating accurate recapitulation of neuroinflammation in brain microphysiological systems, with confirmed therapeutic response to medical countermeasure intervention. - Initiated bridging studies to qualify alternative testing technologies within high-containment facilities, enabling fit-for-purpose biodefense research applications. - Initiated development of purpose-specific disease models using organoid platforms for multiple viral pathogens, tailored to defined research contexts.

### 4) Advanced Technology Demonstration

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue the exploration of integrated technology sets in the context of an operational baseline and doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P) considerations, to solicit Warfighter feedback on potential future capabilities, and identify opportunities to accelerate development, transition, and fielding. Leverage feedback and engagement to reduce risk for injects into larger service and Combatant Coommand (CCMD) exercises.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Minor change due to routine program adjustments.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue the execution of Tenacious Dragon Campaign with an Integrated Layered Defense (ILD) construct to solicit warfighter feedback on potential future capabilities, and identify opportunities to accelerate development, transition, and fielding, where possible.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Continued the exploration of integrated technology sets in the context of an operational baseline and doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P) considerations, to inform the services what is in early S&T Research and Development (R&D), solicit Warfighter feedback on potential future capabilities, and identify opportunities to accelerate development, transition, and fielding.

### 5) Technology Concepts

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue to conduct exploration of early S&T concepts; allowing rapid assessments of emerging ideas to determine the benefits to the Warfighter. - Continue a series of targeted questionnaires/surveys, facilitated focus groups, workshops and tabletop exercises (TTXs), in order to de-risk Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) efforts. - Maintain the experimental analysis process that will increase active information sharing to inform future investments and provide venues for technological innovation.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Minor change due to routine program adjustments.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue the annual Concept Tent at Chemical and Biological Operational Analysis (CBOA) to conduct exploration of early S&T concepts; allowing rapid assessments of emerging ideas to determine the benefits to the warfighter. Additionally provides the means to fail fast, early in technology development process in order to de-risk Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) efforts. - Continue a series of targeted questionnaires/surveys, facilitated focus groups, workshops and tabletop exercises (TTXs). - Maintain the experimental analysis process that will increase active information sharing and role playing with Futures teams to drive force design for chemical and biological (CB) Joint forces and Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTMLPF-P) actions to inform future investment and provide a venue for technological innovation to drive force concept design from a CB lens. - Continue initiating Joint Battle Laboratory efforts to increase active information sharing and role playing with Futures teams to drive force design for CB Joint forces and DOTMLPF-P actions to inform future investment and provide venue for technological innovation to drive force concept design from a CB lens.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Continued to conduct the annual Concept Tent at Science and Technology Chemical/Biological Risk Assessment Operational User Trial (SCOUT), to identify potential areas for improvement and/or employment of emerging technologies. - Continued to build a Joint Battle Laboratory that will increase active information sharing and experimentation to inform future investments and provide venues for technological innovation.

### 6) User Assessment

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue to engage with industry, academia, and government to assess Science & Technology (S&T) prototypes to optimize form, fit, function, and CONEMPs, to identify candidates for CBDP adoption and future experimentation, and provide technologists with critical context for capability development.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Minor change due to routine program adjustments.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP)’s signature Science and Technology Chemical/Biological Risk Assessment Operational User Trail (SCOUT) that assesses up to 35 S&T prototypes and models in scenario-based field experiments that view S&T from both the operator and adversary perspectives. To the extent possible, scenarios will align with and address gaps in services/Joint Force future operating concepts.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Science and Technology Chemical/Biological Risk Assessment Operational User Trial (SCOUT): Continued assessment of up to 35 S&T prototypes in scenario-based field experiments, to optimize form, fit, function, and CONEMPs, to identify candidates for CBDP adoption and future experimentation. This year created sophisticated targets, replicating realistic peer/near-peer level problem sets, benefiting not only the Warfighters but also the technologists, providing them critical context for future CBR(N) capability development.

## 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/0603384BP.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603384BP project EN3 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603384BP")`.

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