# Project 804 — Development Test & Evaluation

**Program element:** 0605804D8Z — Development Test & Evaluation  
**Project:** 804  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605804D8Z/804  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605804D8Z

## Summary

Project 804 — Development Test & Evaluation requests $19.1M in FY2027, 55% of the $35.1M requested for program element 0605804D8Z, down 3.8% on FY2026. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 19.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 19.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 19.1 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 19.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 19.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 20.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 19.9 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0605804D8Z; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 804 buys

The Development Test & Evaluation (DT&E) project 804 provides resources to support Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) and Rapid Prototyping/Fielding Program Managers, Chief Developmental Testers, and Lead DT&E Organizations in the development of comprehensive, efficient, and innovative DT&E strategies/plans to support key acquisition milestones and engineering decisions. This project also supports the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) to manage the Test & Evaluation (T&E) career field and curriculum for the Department of War (DoW) acquisition workforce and develop policy and guidance for the conduct of DT&E within DoW. On behalf of the USW(R&E) this project executes the following activities: - Support acquisition programs in the development of comprehensive, efficient, and innovative test strategies that can be documented in Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs). For Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID programs, review and approve/disapprove the DT&E strategy/plans within the TEMP. For ACAT IB and IC programs, review the DT&E strategy/plans within the TEMP and provide a recommendation to the Service Milestone Decision Authority as to whether or not the strategy is adequate. - Support rapid prototyping, rapid fielding, and technology demonstrations efforts in the development of tailored comprehensive, efficient, and innovative DT&E strategies/plans. - For ACAT ID programs, provide independent DT&E Sufficiency Assessments to the Defense Acquisition Executive at the Milestone B and C decisions with the goal of reducing discovery of performance issues later in the acquisition lifecycle when deficiencies are more costly to correct. - For ACAT IB and IC programs, provide an independent DT&E program assessment to the Service Milestone Decision Authority prior to the development Request for Proposal (RFP) release decision point and at the Milestone B and C decisions with the goal of reducing discovery of performance issues later in the acquisition lifecycle when deficiencies are more costly to correct. - When requested by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of War, provide independent developmental test assessments in support of Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (USW(A&S)) and Service Major Defense Acquisition Programs.

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Test and Evaluation | 19.9 | 19.9 | 19.1 | −4% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605804D8Z/804/a0) |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Development Test and Evaluation

- Continue to work with Acquisition Program Managers, Chief Developmental Testers, and Lead Development Test and Evaluation (DT&E) organizations to improve DT&E planning and develop comprehensive and efficient DT&E strategies/plans through the use of disciplined Developmental Evaluation Framework matrices and Scientific Test and Analysis…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605804D8Z/804/a0

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605804D8Z.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0605804D8Z project 804 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605804D8Z")`.

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