# Combat Feeding, Clothing, and Equipment — Program Element 0604713A

**Program element:** 0604713A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604713A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding ramps 19% to a $6.7M request in FY2027 — the program's peak, before stepping down 64% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 3.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 6.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 3.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 2.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 2.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 2.4 |

> 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 | 6.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 6.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 6.7 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 6.7 | +0.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL2 | Army Field Feeding Equipment | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.1 | +25% |
| 548 | Mil Subsistence Sys | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | +1% |

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

### Project EL2 — Army Field Feeding Equipment

This project supports the development, demonstration and Non-Developmental Item (NDI) Commercial Off-The Shelf (COTS) evaluation of combat feeding equipment to enhance Soldier efficiency, improve Soldier survivability, and reduce food service logistics requirements for the Army. Planned efforts support the rapidly deployable, organically maintained and provisioned field food service equipment initiatives. Operations also support the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of programs to improve equipment, enhance safety in food service, reduce environmental impact, and decrease fuel and water requirements. This effort develops critical enablers that support the Army's Strategic Planning Guidance by developing and integrating critical expeditionary capabilities that maintain readiness, providing effective solutions that reduce the resource and operational energy footprint, providing modernized deployable kitchen equipment for Army 2030, and enhancing the field Soldier's well-being. This project reduces sustainment requirements, related Combat Support/ Combat Service Support (CS/CSS) demands on lift, the combat zone footprint, and costs for logistical support. FY2027 funds will be utilized to complete development of test-ready Refrigeration Unit (RU) prototypes for Multi-Temperature Refrigerated Container System (MTRCS) and conduct development for RU prototypes for Mobile Integrated Remains Collection System (MIRCS).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTRCS RU Replacement | 1.1 | 3.3 | 3.0 |
| AK Integration with JLTV | 0.6 | 0.8 | — |
| MIRCS RU Replacement | — | — | 0.8 |
| MKT Refurbishment and UGR Capability Increase | — | — | 1.3 |

> 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 548 — Mil Subsistence Sys

This project enables system development and demonstration of Joint Service combat rations and field feeding equipment/systems designed to improve warfighter performance and reduce the logistics burden of subsistence support. Efforts funded in this Project support all four Services, the Special Operations Command, and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The Army serves as the Executive Agent for this Department of War (DoW) program, with oversight and coordination provided by the DoW Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Board (CFREB) as required by DoD Directive (DoDD) 3235.02E. Centralized execution of the DoW Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Program (CFREP) with Joint Service review and approval eliminates unnecessary duplication of efforts across the Services and maximizes use of common materiel solutions.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Service Combat Ration System Development | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Joint Service Field Feeding Systems Development | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Government labs & warfare centers | 22% | 1.5 |
| Other / unspecified | 78% | 5.2 |

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This Program Element supports the development, demonstration and Non-Developmental Item (NDI) Commercial Off The-Shelf (COTS) evaluation of combat feeding equipment to enhance soldier efficiency, improve soldier survivability, reduce food service logistics requirements, and supports Field Feeding programs for all the services. Line items within this PE support multi-fuel, rapidly deployable field food service equipment initiatives. Efforts also support the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of programs to improve equipment, enhance safety in food service, and decrease fuel and water requirements.

Complete Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) and Demonstration of food items and equipment for transition into competitive procurement contract. Complete advanced research efforts to support Engineering Change Proposals for previously developed equipment.

## Related program elements

- [0206623M — MC Ground Cmbt Spt Arms Sys](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0206623M) (Navy)
- [0603713N — Ocean Engineering Tech Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603713N) (Navy)
- [0604601A — Infantry Support Weapons](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604601A) (Army)
- [0603747A — Soldier Support and Survivability](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603747A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604713A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604713A")`.

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