# Emerging Technology Initiatives — Program Element 0605054A

**Program element:** 0605054A  
**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/0605054A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding ramps 85% to a $147.9M request in FY2027 — the program's peak. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 11% (to $164.9M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 16% (to $170.9M). RCCTO leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 122.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 80.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 147.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 104.5 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 104.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 106.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 107.3 |

> 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 | 147.9 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 164.9 | +17.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 147.9 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 170.9 | +23.0 |

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

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ9 | Guam Defense System - Management | 49.0 | — | 77.5 | — |
| FI3 | Rapid Capability Development and Maturation | 60.2 | 68.1 | 58.1 | −15% |
| FL7 | Rapid Capability Support | 13.2 | 12.0 | 12.3 | +3% |

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

### Project DJ9 — Guam Defense System - Management

The Guam Defense System (GDS) Joint Program Office (JPO) develops a 360-degree Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense (EIAMD) capability that will defend the people, infrastructure, and territory of Guam from advanced ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats. The GDS is a joint system-of-systems that is developed, manned and sustained by the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, and the Missile Defense Agency. The GDS provides strategic deterrence in the INDOPACIFIC region and supports the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI). In response to section 1660(b) of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the US Army was designated as the Service Acquisition Executive (SAE) for the Joint Special Interest Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID program and, subsequently, the GDS JPO was established. The architecture consists of Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense [IAMD] Battle Command System (IBCS), PATRIOT Launchers, Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Launchers, Sentinel A4, Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) systems, GDS Battle Manager, Tactical Operations Center - Light (TOC-L), and the Aegis Guam System comprised of MK-41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS), Army/Navy Transportable Radar (AN/TPY-6), Command and Control Battle Management and Communication (C2BMC). Early Operational Capability (Increment 1) will occur in CY2027, Initial Operational Capability (Increment 2) will occur in CY2029, and Full Operational Capability will occur in CY2032. FY2027 funds continue the operations of the GDS JPO, Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership, Personnel, Facility-Policy (DOTMLPF-P) integration, and continued development of the GDS Battle Manager.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guam Defense System (GDS) Integration | 8.8 | — | 10.2 |
| GDS Battle Manager (BM) Development | 39.2 | — | 65.2 |
| Joint Capabilities Integration | 1.0 | — | 2.1 |

> 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 FI3 — Rapid Capability Development and Maturation

This project funds high-priority, threat-based initiatives aimed at delivering operationally effective capabilities in the near- to mid-term. It encompasses accelerated materiel development and prototyping based on anticipated and emerging threats and opportunities, including Directed Energy; Long-Range Precision Fires; Air and Missile Defense; Cyber; Artificial Intelligence; Autonomy; Robotics; Signals Intelligence (SIGINT); Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS (C-UAS); and other high-priority emerging threat areas. The project expedites the delivery of resilient combat materiel capabilities to the Warfighter, supports the Army modernization strategy, and accelerates transition to Programs of Record. Activities include rapid prototyping and assessment of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS), and Non-Developmental Items (NDI) to reduce integration timelines. The effort may also include partnering with industry to identify operationally relevant solutions to high-priority problem sets, enabling rapid design iterations, modernization of existing systems, and agile, cross-cutting prototyping that supports Army and Joint capability requirements. Funds may also facilitate the acceleration of critical capabilities to counter urgent threats and may include acquiring specialized support or limited-quantity assets. Efforts incorporate digital engineering and model-based system design (MBSE) activities to reduce technical, schedule, and integration risks and ensure early synchronization with Programs of Record. Prototyping activities may involve rigorous software testing, payload integration, architecture development, autonomy-enabled behaviors, advanced sensing, human-machine interfaces, and safety-related tasks that mitigate operational risk across contested environments.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Machine Integrated Formation (HMIF) | 36.5 | 25.0 | — |
| Rapid Technology and Capability Delivery | — | — | 38.4 |
| Organizational Expenses | 18.6 | 18.1 | 19.5 |
| Selective Propagation APS Radar (SPAR) (Formely known as WiSPR) | 4.7 | 2.5 | 0.1 |
| Operationalizing Hybrid Electric - Ground Vehicles | 0.0 | — | — |
| Concept Prototyping | 0.5 | — | — |

> 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 FL7 — Rapid Capability Support

Provides essential civilian labor required to plan, manage, and execute rapid prototyping, technology maturation, integration, and transition activities across emerging technology portfolios. Funding supports program management, engineering coordination, acquisition and contracting support, financial execution, and administrative functions necessary for timely delivery of prototypes and preparation of capabilities for transition under the Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) structure. Core labor resources ensure continuity of operations, maintain compliance with Army planning and execution requirements, and enable efficient, coordinated delivery of rapid prototyping efforts. These functions reduce programmatic and schedule risk, support integration across multiple technology initiatives, and provide the organizational capacity needed to transition emerging technologies into enduring capabilities.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** RCCTO (12.3, 100%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Labor | 13.2 | 12.0 | 12.3 |

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

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 8.3% | 12.3 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 0.1% | 0.1 |
| Other / unspecified | 92% | 135.5 |

**Top named industry performers:** RCCTO ($12.3M, 8.3%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Emerging Technology Initiatives funds prototyping and demonstration, fielding and sustainment of selected technology enabled capabilities to defeat emerging threats against ground, aviation, command, control, communications & reconnaissance systems and equipment, precision weapons, and Soldier equipment. Funding facilitates maturation and demonstration of emerging technologies and systems in relevant varied environments and tactical/operational scenarios. The primary goal is to deliver experimental prototypes for residual combat capability through a collaborative and accelerated acquisition process for transition to a program of record in an Army or DoW Program Management Office.

The acquisition strategy employs flexible, streamlined approaches to support rapid prototyping, integration, and transition of emerging technologies. The program uses a combination of competitive awards, existing contract vehicles, Other Transaction Authority (OTA), and direct collaboration with industry and government partners to accelerate development and reduce integration risk. Efforts emphasize modular designs, iterative development, and early coordination with transition partners to prepare prototypes for integration into enduring solutions.

## Related program elements

- [0603239N — (u)naval Construction Forces](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603239N) (Navy)
- [0303131F — Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0303131F) (Air Force)
- [1203001SF — Family of Advanced BLoS Terminals (FAB-T)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203001SF) (Space Force)
- [0604115A — Technology Maturation Initiatives](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604115A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605054A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605054A")`.

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