# Defense Innovation Acceleration (DIA) — Program Element 0603838D8Z

**Program element:** 0603838D8Z  
**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/0603838D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide funding ramps 47% to a $311.0M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 5.6% (to $293.5M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 3.1% (to $320.5M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 160.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 211.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 311.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 321.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 328.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 346.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 346.8 |

> 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 | 311.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 293.5 | −17.5 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 311.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 320.5 | +9.5 |

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

## Projects (2)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 730 | Concepts and Capabilities | 160.9 | 211.5 | 221.0 | +4% |
| 127 | Nuclear Prototyping | 0.0 | 0.0 | 90.0 | new start |

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

### Project 730 — Concepts and Capabilities

Concepts and Capabilities (C&C) focuses on executing prototype integration, joint experimentation and assessments on a 12-to-24 month timeline. C&C investments address the joint warfighter’s most pressing operational capability gaps and accelerate new capability development in conjunction with the Services and CCMDs. Based on established needs, C&C capability directors execute experimentation, assessment, and prototype integration with the operational leads from the Services and CCMDs. They pool technical resources from the Services’ research and engineering laboratories, and program acquisition offices, and they leverage academia and industry expertise as needed. They require Service cost-sharing partnerships and execute the necessary planning steps for future transition early within the developmental life cycle. This execution strategy represents a time-proven catalyst for collaborative development and accelerates delivery of operational prototypes to the joint warfighter.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Undersea Surveillance and Targeting (JUST) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 0.6 | — | — |
| Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (AML) (Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects) | 1.7 | — | — |
| Birdseye Yonder (BEYOND) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 3.0 | — | — |
| Collaborative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Predicting Enemy Course of Action (ECOA) (CAPE) (Kill Web Interoperability) | 1.7 | — | — |
| HAYFINS (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 5.4 | — | — |
| Joint Radiant Touchstone (J-RTS) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 0.8 | — | — |
| Low-Altitude Future Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Long-Range Attack Missile (LRAM) (Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects) | 3.9 | — | — |
| Rapid Large Area Clearance (RLAC) (Contested Logistics / Sustainment) | 4.8 | — | — |
| ShadowCat (Resilient Communications) | 1.2 | — | — |
| Prototyping Development Efforts to Fill Identified Gaps (Emerging Prototypes and Enablers) | 50.7 | — | — |
| Kinetic Calypso (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 8.2 | 4.9 | — |
| Maritime Platform ORCAstrate (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 6.6 | 5.0 | — |
| Cross-Service Sensor Netting for Integrated Air and Missile Defense (CSSN) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 4.0 | 6.5 | — |
| Red-Black Integrated Networking for Space Data Transport (RiBN-SDT) (Resilient Communications) | 3.5 | 2.5 | — |
| Scabbard Dome (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 4.8 | 4.5 | — |
| Spatiotemporal Hybrid Open Optical Terminal for Enhanced Relay (SHOOTER) (Resilient Communications) | 3.8 | 3.0 | — |
| Unmanned Logistics Systems for Semi-Submersibles (ULS/SS) (Contested Logistics / Sustainment) | 5.6 | 2.1 | — |
| Special Access Program (SAP) Assimilation and Integrated Operational Management (Emerging Prototypes and Enablers) | — | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Combining Information Content with Embedding Relationship Optimization (CICERO) (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 2.3 | — | — |
| Joint Ubiquitous Interoperable Communication Element (JUICE BOX) (Kill Web Interoperability) | 1.5 | — | — |
| Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) L700 (Medium Configuration - 700 nautical miles range) (Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects) | 4.0 | — | — |
| Passive Multi-Spectral Air Surveillance Kill Chains (PMASKC) Acceleration (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 3.0 | — | — |
| Broad EA Technology for Launched Effects (BEATLE) (Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects) | 3.6 | 3.5 | — |
| Containerized Agile Expeditionary and Rapid Beach Preparation (CONAER) (Contested Logistics / Sustainment) | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Contested Logistics Ops by Robots for Expeditionary Recon via SHARC Swarms (CLOBBER S2) (Contested Logistics / Sustainment) | 1.9 | 2.4 | — |
| Sea-based Interrogation and Remote Emulation Node (SIREN) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 4.0 | 4.0 | — |
| Talon SPEAR (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 1.3 | 1.7 | — |
| GEO Satellite Ranging (GSR) (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 1.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| Mine Counter Measure System of Systems (MCM SoS) (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 1.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) and Indiana National Guard (INNG) | 24.9 | 24.7 | 25.5 |
| Kill Web Interoperability Focus Area | — | 11.1 | 17.5 |
| Resilient Communications Focus Area | — | 12.8 | 26.4 |
| Sensors and Data Analytics Focus Area | — | 21.6 | 36.1 |
| Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy Focus Area | — | 10.9 | 22.3 |
| Contested Logistics/Sustainment Focus Area | — | 9.0 | 15.8 |
| Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects Focus Area | — | 10.7 | 18.0 |
| Experimentation, Prototypes, and Enablers Focus Area | — | 43.9 | 28.8 |
| Joint Test & Evaluation (JT&E) (Experimentation, Prototypes, and Enablers) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 21.1 |

> 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 127 — Nuclear Prototyping

(U) The primary objective of this effort is to prove technological feasibility and assess the operability of key technologies to meet the most pressing operational needs identified in the 2026 National Defense Strategy and to provide response options to unique deterrence challenges. The near-term focus will be on the identification, maturation, and demonstration of subsystems and components. This effort prioritizes the rapid integration of these components into system demonstrators for field experiments and tests within simulated operational environments. This approach is designed to quickly prove the military utility of the technology and provide actionable data for future acquisition decisions. (U) In parallel, this program will develop a strategic roadmap to guide long-term technology maturation, consistent with the Department of War's vision. This ensures a comprehensive strategy that balances immediate technology demonstrations with the development of enduring capabilities. The goal for these projects is to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, making the technology available for transition out of the Science & Technology (S&T) phase and into a formal acquisition program within the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). Upon successful completion, the technology will be transitioned to a service partner to address validated requirements. (U) Further details are available at higher classification levels.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| (U) Nuclear Prototyping | — | — | 90.0 |

> 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

This program supports the Department of War’s (DoW) initiatives to “Build a Sustainable and Long-Term Advantage” and “Build a Resilient Joint Force and Defense Ecosystem.” DIA projects are organized by focus areas aligned to specific, persistent capability gaps. Aligning investments by focus areas allows ODASW Prototyping and Experimentation (P&E) to rapidly respond to urgent and emergent requirements at the speed of relevance. Focus areas include: Kill Web Interoperability: The processes by which Joint Force Commanders plan, direct, coordinate, and control forces to accomplish assigned missions and enable Joint kill webs.

## Related program elements

- [0607162D8Z — ChemBio Weapons Elimination Technology Improvement](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0607162D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605141BR — Mission Assurance RISK Management System (MARMS)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605141BR) (Defense-Wide)
- [0207452F — Dcapes](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207452F) (Air Force)
- [0901538F — Cost Estimating Modeling (CEM)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0901538F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603838D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603838D8Z")`.

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