Project 042
$9.1MFY2027 request ▲ 14%National Technical Nuclear Forensics
FY2025 actual$7.9M
FY2026 enacted$8.0M
FY2027 request$9.1M
Product Development
FY2027 Request
$14.9M
▲ 17% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$12.8M
▼ 3.6% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$13.3M
Prior year
Roll-up of 2 projects. Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it.
For fiscal year 2027, Defense-Wide agencies are requesting $14.9M for Nuclear Matters, System Development & Demonstration under RDT&E program element 0604161D8Z, up 17% over FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 13.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 12.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 14.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 14.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 14.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 14.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 15.0 |
Where it sits
Acquisition lifecycle
This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 5 — System Development & Demonstration.
Complete
Research
BA 1–2
Complete
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Complete
Prototyping
BA 4
Current
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element
2 projects roll up into PE 0604161D8Z
Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves 17% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.
Project 163
$5.8MFY2027 request ▲ 21%Nuclear and Conventional Physical Security
FY2025 actual$5.4M
FY2026 enacted$4.8M
FY2027 request$5.8M
Product DevelopmentTest and Evaluation
Congressional action
Congressional marks
Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.
RequestPresident's Budget
$14.9M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$14.9M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$14.9M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$14.9M full · +$0
unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Who's building it
Where the FY2027 request goes
Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.
| Where FY2027 funding flows | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 14.9 |
| FY2027 request | 100% | 14.9 |
Program detail
Mission & acquisition strategy
Nuclear Matters, System Development & Demonstration addresses the need to defend and deter against weapons of mass destruction threats and to safeguard personnel, prevent unauthorized access to equipment, installations, material, and documents, and to safeguard the foregoing against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft. This program oversees advanced engineering development and rapid fielding throughout the Department of War (DoW) for an integrated and systemic approach to develop material solutions. The Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Program (PSEAP) avoids duplication of effort, ensures systems integration, and promotes interoperability and sustainability.
Project 042, 163 — National Technical Nuclear Forensics
- Product Development
Ask Hitch
Ask this program element
Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.
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Questions this page can answer
How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did the FY2027 NDAA committees do to this request?Which project inside PE 0604161D8Z is growing fastest, and which is shrinking?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?
This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what a contractor has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.
Provenance
Cite this page
Sources
FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0604161D8Z (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Nuclear Matters, System Development & Demonstration (PE 0604161D8Z)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0604161D8Z
Machine access
Markdown twin
/programs/0604161D8Z.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.com → budget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marksFY2027 Request
$9.1M
▲ 14% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$8.0M
▲ 1.1% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$7.9M
Prior year
National Technical Nuclear Forensics — one RDT&E project inside PE 0604161D8Z. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 042 — National Technical Nuclear Forensics — requests $9.1M in FY2027, 61% of the $14.9M requested for program element 0604161D8Z. Year over year it grows 14% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 042 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 7.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 8.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 9.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 8.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 8.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 8.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 8.7 |
Inside the project
1 accomplishment / planned program
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them.
NTNF Capability Development▲ 14%
FY2025 actual$7.9M
FY2026 enacted$8.0M
FY2027 request$9.1M
FY2027 planned work - Continue to prepare elements necessary to model, simulate, and develop data outputs for injects for prompt and material diagnostic requirements necessary to conduct an end-to-end exercise for the NTNF mission. - Continue to execute a National-Level technical demonstration, or series of technical demonstrations, with Interagency Partners to test the full nuclear forensics process from sample collection to final technical assessment. - Continue to operationalize deployed nuclear detection prompt signals sensors (the United States Prompt Detection System), connecting the in-field sensors to active operational centers so that their data feed can be continuously monitored.
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY 2026 to FY 2027 increase reflects maturation of technologies.
FY2026 plans — current year - Prepare elements necessary to model, simulate, and develop data outputs for injects for prompt and material diagnostic requirements necessary to conduct an end-to-end exercise for the NTNF mission. - Execute a National-Level technical demonstration, or series of technical demonstrations, with Interagency Partners to test the full nuclear forensics process from sample collection to final technical assessment. - Operationalize deployed nuclear detection prompt signals sensors (the United States Prompt Detection System), connecting the in-field sensors to active operational centers so that their data feed can be continuously monitored.
FY2025 accomplishments - Prepare elements necessary to model, simulate, and develop data outputs for injects for prompt and material diagnostic requirements necessary to conduct an end-to-end exercise for the NTNF mission. - Execute a National-Level technical demonstration, or series of technical demonstrations, with Interagency Partners to test the full nuclear forensics process from sample collection to final technical assessment. - Operationalize deployed nuclear detection prompt signals sensors (the United States Prompt Detection System), connecting the in-field sensors to active operational centers so that their data feed can be continuously monitored.
Project detail
What project 042 buys
Per National Security Presidential Memorandum 35, the Department of War (DoW) leads the United States Government (USG) post-detonation National Technical Nuclear Forensics (NTNF) capability and directs the U.S. to maintain and advance NTNF capabilities leading to the attribution of the source of an actual or attempted nuclear attack in all environments. Per the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, greater investment in NTNF tools is required to ensure they remain responsive to the threat. Per DoDD S-2060.04, OUSW(A&S) is the DoW office responsible for DoW’s NTNF capabilities. Per the FY 2022 – FY 2026 Nuclear Forensics Analysis System Plan, accelerated timelines are required for the NTNF capability to collect, analyze, and evaluate both air and ground post-nuclear detonation samples. This Program Element is the only DoW Research, Development, Test and Evaluation program focused on System Development & Demonstration for NTNF capabilities. Collecting, analyzing, and evaluating post-detonation prompt signals and nuclear debris is critical to ensure the USG can identify the source of nuclear material and holding those involved or supporting an attack accountable is critical to our national defense and security. Swift and accurate forensic and attribution capabilities are vital to supporting the President and Secretary of Defense in developing an appropriate, and timely, national response to a nuclear event and to prevent future attacks. An effective NTNF capability ensures potential adversaries, or those who support them, know that they will be held accountable if they use proxies or other non-traditional delivery (e.g., false-flag operations) of nuclear weapons against the U.S., U.S. interests, or allies. Both internal and independent studies indicate that continued improvement to the USG's NTNF capabilities is needed to sustain a credible deterrent against an attempted or actual nuclear attack. Additionally, this program sustains perishable U.S. technical expertise at the operational DoW laboratories required to respond to a post-detonation NTNF event. The DoW's laboratory capability in this area is limited by capacity and technical expertise.
R-3 lines of work
- Product Development
FY2027 Request
$5.8M
▲ 21% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$4.8M
▼ 11% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$5.4M
Prior year
Nuclear and Conventional Physical Security — one RDT&E project inside PE 0604161D8Z. Congressional marks are recorded on the program element, not on a project.
Project 163 — Nuclear and Conventional Physical Security — requests $5.8M in FY2027, 39% of the $14.9M requested for program element 0604161D8Z. Year over year it grows 21% against FY2026.
Funding trajectory
Project 163 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 5.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 4.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 5.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 5.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 6.1 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 6.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 6.3 |
Inside the project
1 accomplishment / planned program
The R-2A exhibit. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan — and they are descriptive: coverage is partial and they do not always add back to the project, so count them, never total them.
Physical Security System Capability Development▲ 21%
FY2025 actual$5.4M
FY2026 enacted$4.8M
FY2027 request$5.8M
FY2027 planned work - Refine and improve data quality generated by physical security systems to support broader data analytic capabilities for protection and operational concerns - Test and evaluate existing camera, radar, and thermal capabilities integrated with Artificial Intelligence (Video Analytics) and Machine Learning to improve threat detection in all weather conditions, detect/classify and reduce nuisance and false alarm rates on interior and exterior sensors, and automate alerts to response forces - Test and evaluate insider threat detection systems (i.e., human pattern recognition and anomalies) to mitigate increased risks from internal and external threat actors - Identify innovative delay/denial…
FY2026 to FY2027 change FY 2026 to FY 2027 increase reflects changes in budget priorities within the DoW.
FY2026 plans — current year - Supply chain security: Mitigate vulnerabilities using physical security equipment/technology to counter potential threats to organic industrial base facilities and ports receiving materials from suppliers and shipping assets the supply DoW Services and foreign partners around the globe. - Mature All Domain Counter-Uncrewed Systems (C-UXS): Continue to address the proliferation of uncrewed systems used by our adversaries by advancing C-UXS capabilities that change the risk calculus for the adversary (i.e., deterrence) and increase Joint Force survivability and resiliency against UXS. - Access control to DoW ships and aircraft: Vetting and screening personnel by biometrically screen…
FY2025 accomplishments - Counter-Uncrewed Systems across All Domains: Detect, Track, Identify and Defeat uncrewed systems across all domains including air, land, surface & subsurface (Attribution, deterrence and swarms should be considered). - Advancements in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, as well as Countering AI/ML and Autonomy: Leverage advancements in AI/ML and develop systems to effectively counter emerging threats posed by adversarial use of AI and autonomous technologies. (Post Quantum encryption may also be considered) - Insider Threat Detection: Develop insider threat detection systems to detect, mitigate, and prevent unauthorized activities within organizational networks, enhancing security…
Project detail
What project 163 buys
The Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Program (PSEAP) pursues the development of nuclear and conventional physical security materiel solutions in response to the stated needs and requirements of the Combatant Commands and Military Services. This program leverages commonalities in physical security requirements in order to closely balance and integrate the needs of users. The PSEAP is responsible for avoiding duplication of effort, ensuring systems integration, and promoting interoperability and sustainability. The materiel solutions either (a) lead to a Program of Record, (b) become technology insertions into existing programs; or (c) advance to being a certified Commercial/Government off-the-shelf product.
R-3 lines of work
- Product Development
- Test and Evaluation