# Project E21 — Environmental Quality Technology Dem/Val

**Program element:** 0603779A — Environmental Quality Technology - Dem/Val  
**Project:** E21  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603779A/E21  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603779A

## Summary

Project E21 — Environmental Quality Technology Dem/Val requests $11.6M in FY2027, 59% of the $19.5M requested for program element 0603779A, down 59% on FY2026. 6 R-2A activities decompose the request, 1 new this cycle. Varies is the largest named R-3 performer at $11.6M, 100% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 15.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 28.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 11.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 12.5 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 12.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 12.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 13.1 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603779A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project E21 buys

This Project supports Advanced Component Development and Prototypes of innovative environmental quality technologies that modernize materials and processes required for current and future operational sustainment and warfighter training capabilities. The Project showcases technologies that increase life safety, reduce Soldier and worker human health risks, enhance readiness and enable mission capabilities of the current and future force with a focus on eliminating the high priority issues associated with hexavalent chromium, cadmium and airborne lead through material substitution. The Project expedites technology transition from the laboratory to operational use by demonstrating modern materials and processes to fulfill or surpass the performance requirements outlined in Material Specifications, Depot Maintenance Work Requirements, Technical Manuals, Drawings and other technical data. Forward-looking materials and processes demonstrated under this project support the Cross Functional Teams and the Army's top modernization priorities by addressing potential obsolescence of legacy materials and current and emerging impacts on human health and the environment. Modernized materials and processes have the additional benefit of addressing future regulatory compliance and cleanup requirements while simultaneously increasing performance and standardization across the Army, resulting in significantly reduced life cycle costs incurred by acquisition, industrial base and installation end users. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Transformation & Training Command (T2COM), U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

**R-3 lines of work:** Test and Evaluation.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| Varies | 11.6 | 100% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 6

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Safer Alternatives for Readiness (SAFR) of Army Weapon Systems | — | — | 5.8 | new | — |
| Engineered Technologies for Risk Mitigation and Management of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOS/PFOA) on Army Installations (USACE) | 3.0 | 1.9 | 4.2 | +113% | — |
| VEQT Transition Program (OAA IE&E) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 | −0% | — |
| Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Toxic Metal Reduction in Surface Finishing of Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM) | 1.9 | — | — | — | — |
| Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Airborne Lead Reduction from Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM) | 3.3 | — | — | — | — |
| Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Low Global Warming Potential (LGWP) Alternatives to Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) (DEVCOM) | 0.2 | — | — | — | — |

> 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.

### Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Safer Alternatives for Readiness (SAFR) of Army Weapon Systems — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Will demonstrate lead-free materials in relevant artillery fuze systems; will mature PFAS-free binders for energetic formulations for booster applications; will mature hexavalent chromium free hard chrome plating processes at a depot for increased corrosion and wear resistance; mature n-methyl pyrrolidone free CARC system on ground vehicles.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 27 funding increased in support of SAFR priorities for weapons systems to include environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Toxic Metal Reduction in Surface Finishing of Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM), Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Airborne Lead Reduction from Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM), and Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Hydrofluorocarbon Alternatives (HFCA) Alternatives to Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) (DEVCOM).

### Engineered Technologies for Risk Mitigation and Management of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOS/PFOA) on Army Installations (USACE)

**FY2027 planned work.** Will demonstrate and validate optimized destructive technologies, coupled with streamlined operational methodologies, for treating PFAS-contaminated solid materials at larger scale. Performance capabilities and risk analyses will be reported to inform plans for PFAS contaminated solid waste elimination.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Increased funding supports expanded scaling, demonstration, and validation activities that are required for targeting treatment of complex solid PFAS contaminated media.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will demonstrate and validate prototype destruction technologies effectiveness for PFAS contaminated solid media and other PFAS contaminated difficult to dispose of wastes to non-detect levels. Will demonstrate and validate precision and accuracy of field deployable PFAS measurement and monitoring technologies under broad spectrum of operating conditions. Continues maturation of guidance and decision support tools to reduce risk management costs.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Demonstrated and validated treatment technologies to address PFAS-impacted soils and treatment matrices, comparing removal efficiency, cost balance, regulatory guidelines, and limits of detection. Demonstrated risk analysis and decision making tools for the site specific selection of real time PFAS assessment/monitoring and the application specific selection of destructive technologies addressing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) stockpiles and concentrated waste streams.

### VEQT Transition Program (OAA IE&E)

**FY2027 planned work.** Will deploy advanced technologies previously funded under the VEQT program to enhance environment, safety, and health liabilities at Army installations. Key initiatives include transitioning proven Perfluorooctane Sulfonate water treatment technologies, implementing alternative technologies to protect workers against emerging health hazards from new Environmental Protection Agency chemical regulations, implementing safer and environmentally preferred chemical formulation alternatives for mission critical product use to reduce supply chain risk and dependency on chemicals from adversaries while protecting Soldier/maintainer/community life, health and environment, adoption of proven technologies that can eliminate use of Hydrofluorocarbons in Army mission critical usage, among other advanced technologies for use at Army installations.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding decrease reflects economic adjustments.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will deploy advanced technologies previously funded under the VEQT program to enhance environment, safety, and health liabilities at Army installations. Key initiatives include transitioning proven Perfluorooctane Sulfonate water treatment technologies, implementing alternative technologies to protect workers against emerging health hazards from new Environmental Protection Agency chemical regulations, implementing safer and environmentally preferred chemical formulation alternatives for mission critical product use to reduce supply chain risk and dependency on chemicals from adversaries while protecting Soldier/maintainer/community life, health and environment, adoption of proven technologies that can eliminate use of Hydrofluorocarbons in Army mission critical usage, among other advanced technologies for use at Army installations.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Will ensure mature and new technologies that have been successfully demonstrated and validated can be transitioned to multiple Army Installations to improve Soldier quality of life and to meet demands for multi-domain operations. Environmental technologies help balance readiness demands of competition, crisis, and conflict while also creating opportunities to modernize and support the Army's force posture. This effort enables rapid transition of technologies to the field to ensure the Army maintains its competitive edge against our adversaries and supports all Environmental Safety and Occupational Health high priority requirements to protect the Army enterprise.

### Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Toxic Metal Reduction in Surface Finishing of Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM)

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Will mature hexavalent chromium-free wear resistant plating processes; will demonstrate hexavalent chromium and cadmium-free electrical connectors.

### Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Airborne Lead Reduction from Army Weapon Systems (DEVCOM)

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Will demonstrate lead-free fuzes in end items; will demonstrate fully remote, automated loading processes for lead-free detonators.

### Environmental quality technology demonstration and validation: Low Global Warming Potential (LGWP) Alternatives to Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) (DEVCOM)

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Will transition alternative, low/no GWP refrigerants for use in Multi-Temperature Refrigerated Container Systems (MTRCS).

## 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/0603779A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603779A project E21 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603779A")`.

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