# Investment Program

**R-2A activity** of project 215 — Economic Defense Unit (EDU)  
**Program element:** 0604538D8Z — Economic Defense Unit  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 7  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604538D8Z/215/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604538D8Z

> **NEW START.** $403.9M requested in FY2027 with no prior-year and no current-year funding.

## Summary

This activity requests $403.9M in FY2027, 100% of project 215 — a new start with no prior-year and no current-year money. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** EDU will rapidly accelerate U.S. defense production capabilities and secure vulnerable supply chains, the EDU plans to deploy a diversified portfolio of flexible financing mechanisms. In FY 2027, the requested funding will directly support the issuance of targeted grants, direct loans, financial options, equity investments, and strategic purchase commitments. These tools are designed to bridge critical gaps in commercial production and scale emerging technologies critical to the warfighter. A core component of the EDU’s FY 2027 operational plan is the utilization of commercial-like deal structuring. Rather than relying solely on traditional procurement models, the EDU will leverage appropriated funds to catalyze broader market participation. By integrating mandatory private capital commitments and performance-based incentive structures into its agreements, the EDU will multiply the financial impact of DoW investments, driving rapid innovation and sustained production capacity within the commercial sector.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The increase in FY 2027 is due to the establishment of the EDU (in the discretionary budget) to develop a data and analytics platform and execute operations and activities.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | Request | 403.9 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0604538D8Z project 215 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

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