# Project 2297 — Futures Directorate

**Program element:** 0603640M — MC Advanced Technology Demo  
**Project:** 2297  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 3 — Advanced Technology Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M

## Summary

Project 2297 — Futures Directorate requests $166.3M in FY2027, 58% of the $287.9M requested for program element 0603640M, down 24% on FY2026. 6 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 131.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 218.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 166.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 125.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 124.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 126.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 127.9 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603640M; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 2297 buys

The mission of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) is to examine future operating environments to generate threat-informed operating concepts and capabilities and, through experimentation, provide analytically supported recommendations to inform future force design and development activities. The Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration (DC, CD&I) is the United States Marine Corps (USMC) advocate for Science and Technology (S&T). MCWL's Commanding General (CG) is the proponent of USMC S&T and serves as the USMC Executive Agent for Marine Corps S&T. The MCWL/FD also serves as the Marine Corps' liaison to the Joint Staff for Joint Concept Development and Experimentation; thereby, facilitating service-specific experiments as well as participation in joint service experimentation. As reflected in strategic guidance, expeditionary forces will provide an ever-ready quick strike force to protect United States (US) interests. MCWL/FD pursues concepts, capabilities, and solutions to ensure that Marines of the future force will be effectively organized, trained, and equipped to win across the range of military operations in an uncertain and complex environment. Prioritized investments in S&T are necessary to enable the future Marine Corps and maintain a technological advantage over our adversaries. This project is organized into 6 activities, the core of which are represented by the Warfighting Capability Areas of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The project emphasizes development and demonstration of advanced technology capability concepts, and the examination of their operational application and military utility in the context of formal wargames, Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A), and live-force field experimentation with Marines. This operational experimentation directly supports Marine Corps combat development to inform future capability requirements and optimize the acquisition process.

## Activities (R-2A) — 6

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warfighting Excellence | 32.1 | 21.0 | 57.8 | +175% | [a5](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a5) |
| Combat Service Support (CSS) and Force Protection | 47.8 | 35.3 | 43.9 | +24% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a0) |
| Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) | 16.5 | 13.9 | 28.8 | +107% | [a3](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a3) |
| Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Technical, Engineering, and Management Support | 22.3 | 24.2 | 23.9 | −1% | [a4](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a4) |
| Fires, Targeting, and Maneuver | 4.8 | 120.9 | 6.4 | −95% | — |
| Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) | 8.0 | 2.9 | 5.4 | +87% | — |

> 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.

### Warfighting Excellence

Wargaming: - Continue to sustain the WarNet stand-alone network to maintain the ability to conduct classified wargames "on the road". - Complete transition of principal wargaming functions to the sponsorship of the Marine Corps' Robert B. Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis. This includes overall wargaming planning, coordination…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a5

### Combat Service Support (CSS) and Force Protection

Unmanned Logistics and Defense: - Continue development and experimentation with highly autonomous and synchronous logistics capabilities. Focus areas include development, testing, and experimentation with a semi-submersible craft designed to support a payload of 8 to 10 tons. - Continue to assess execution of high tempo unmanned…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a0

### Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs): - Continue to explore, expand mission sets, and exploit the tactical potential of small UASs across multiple Marine Corps domains. Focus areas include lethality development. - Continue to explore Group 2 fixed wing and VTOL payload development. - Continue efforts to provide a highly automated/autonomously…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a3

### Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Technical, Engineering, and Management Support

Technical Support: - Continue to provide a full range of overarching, lab-wide, engineering, analytical, technical, management, and business services; directly related to live-force experimentation. Focus areas include liaison with Fleet counterparts to identify operational shortfalls and requirements that need to be fulfilled by…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603640M/2297/a4

### Fires, Targeting, and Maneuver

**FY2027 planned work.** Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV): - Continue to provide a multi-purposed UGV, with modular payload architectures. - Continue to integrate POR and non-POR payloads for the UGV platform that enhance dismounted units across the warfighting functions. - Continue to perform tests, demonstrations, and assessments prior to dedicated live-force experimentation. Aerial Munitions: - Continue to pursue company level precision guided munitions. Multi-Domain Fires: - Continue the examination and testing of precision guided munitions. - Complete large-scale experimentation of low-cost munitions.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding decrease from FY 2026 to FY 2027 is directly attributable to completing Multi-Domain Fires related low-cost munitions large-scale experimentation. Project has successfully transitioned to Budget Activity 4 - 0604320M - Marine Corps Rapid Prototyping Capability.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV): - Continue to provide a multi-purposed UGV, with modular payload architectures. Efforts focus on a fully autonomous UGV that can provide long-range land movement and wet-gap crossing, satisfying full mission sets such as communications relay, armed reconnaissance, and logistics resupply. - Continue to integrate POR and non-POR payloads for the UGV platform that enhance dismounted units across the warfighting functions. - Continue to perform tests, demonstrations, and assessments prior to dedicated live-force experimentation. Aerial Munitions: - Complete experimentation with fully autonomous, remotely operated UASs that serves as a dual day and night, precision-guided, loitering munition designed to seek, locate, and engage selected targets. - Complete development of a common launcher system that can be integrated onto ultra-light and autonomous vehicles. - Complete tasks to integrate existing weapons technology into a single killer munition. - Continue to pursue company level precision guided munitions. Multi-Domain Fires: - Complete the incorporation of POR C2 infrastructure with modified long-range aerial munitions. - Complete small unmanned close air support efforts. - Complete organic sensor-to-shooter data that expedites the targeting process. - Complete the demonstration and experimentation of a small form factor hypersonic capability in support of an expeditionary concept of operation. - Complete development and experimentation of an all-weather, extended range indirect fires capability compatible with any unit utilizing the 81mm mortar system. - Continue the examination and testing of precision guided munitions. Efforts include the development of a small form factor, cost-effective, long range missile capability to support an expeditionary concept of operation. In addition, demonstrate an affordable, precision guided, extended range, dual mode mortar round capable of exceeding ranges of 20+ kilometers. - Initiate large scale experimentation of low-cost munitions.

### Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4)

**FY2027 planned work.** Integrated C2: - Continue experimentation with an expeditionary transportable communications platform. Focus areas include providing disadvantaged units with an organic, persistent capability to receive, process, and disseminate digital information from organic sensors which provide connectivity to relevant/actionable target information. - Continue development of persistent SATCOM point-of-presence to enable EAB, DMO, and JADC2 experimentation. - Continue integration of a pLEO satellite constellation capability which will facilitate connectivity to elements of the FITC and other pLEO enabled platforms and agencies. - Initiate investigations into the ability to disseminate and share track and target data between joint, coalition, and allied partners at the tactical level. Electronic Warfare (EW) / Information Environment Operations: - Continue to pursue multiple electronic and cyber-secure warfare efforts. Focus areas include offensive and defensive capabilities as well as payload technologies. - Continue the integration of a full-spectrum SIGINT and EW capability onto Group 5 UAS. Focus area includes providing a passive autonomous (auto)-SIGINT system that conducts communications and electronics intelligence on a UAS. - Continue a SWAP analysis on an advanced HF RF signal processing and emitter exploitation. - Complete development of a resilient, cyber-secure high-performance network within the littorals. - Initiate development of Group 2 and Group 3 RF sensors with antennas. Efforts include the completion of platform integration kits for software defined radio cyber UAS payloads.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The funding increase from FY 2025 to FY 2026 is directly attributable to Integrated C2 efforts, specifically the initialization of investigations into the ability to disseminate and share track and target data between joint, coalition, and allied partners at the tactical level.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Asymmetric Command and Control (C2): - Complete efforts to provide and assess secure "one-to-many" (netted) PTT voice and C4 data services to disadvantaged users with no reliance on local ground infrastructure. - Complete mission play-back capabilities for enhanced analysis and training. - Complete development and limited technical assessments with an expeditionary transportable communications platform. - Complete mini-crypto development. Integrated C2: - Continue experimentation with an expeditionary transportable communications platform. - Continue development of persistent satellite communications (SATCOM) point-of-presence to enable Expeditionary Advanced Base (EAB), Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), and Joint All-Domain C2 (JADC2) experimentation. - Continue integration of a proliferated-Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellite constellation capability which will facilitate connectivity to elements of the Family of Integrated Targeting Cells (FITC) and other pLEO enabled platforms and agencies. Focus on enabling multi-domain communications by bridging legacy and emerging technology for distributed units. Electronic Warfare (EW) / Information Environment Operations: - Complete development and integration of an airborne EW/Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) radio frequency sensor that is optimized for Group 2 - 3 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) deployment. - Complete experimentation with a cyber application of swarmable, autonomous UASs. - Continue to pursue multiple electronic and cyber-secure warfare efforts. - Continue the integration of a full-spectrum SIGINT and EW capability onto Group 5 UAS. Focus area includes passive auto-SIGINT system efforts that conduct communications and electronics intelligence. - Continue the development of a resilient, cyber-secure high-performance network within the littorals. - Continue a Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP) analysis on an advanced High Frequency (HF) Radio Frequency (RF) signal processing and emitter exploitation. Focus area includes investigations into a passive HF spectrum collector tool that facilitates the understanding of the propagation environment.

## 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/0603640M.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603640M project 2297 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603640M")`.

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