# Defensive Cyberspace Operations - Space (DCO-S)

**R-2A activity** of project 673070 — Defensive Cyber Ops - Space  
**Program element:** 1203040SF — Defensive Cyber Ops - Space  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force · **Budget Activity:** 7  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203040SF/673070/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203040SF

## Summary

This activity requests $481.3M in FY2027, 100% of project 673070, up 391% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Continue to expand the development, deployment, tuning, and capability of DCO-S and field to an additional 60 mission area locations (29 Manticore and 31 Kraken product lines) based on operational/user priorities; build, test, and deliver valuable features at a faster pace to meet growing demands of cyber defenders. Continue to scale development and deployment teams to increase emphasis on cyber threat recognition, information sharing, and active response methodologies to combat evolving threats and prepare for inevitable changes to the cyber domain. Augment platform, upgrade databases for all product-line documentation, grow infrastructure support of existing codebase, and operationally accept the DCO-S cloud environment to facilitate support to Joint Cyber Warfare Architecture (JCWA). Achieve multi-year Authority to Operate for the DCO-S Minimum Viable Capability Release (MVCR), and measure performance against the Operational Capability Needs Statement. Continue to develop technical documentation, perform integration activities and tuning support, and finalize plans for product support and sustainment. Increase deployment activities to on-board additional mission systems at a faster pace to ensure complex classified systems are protected sooner. Support cyber exercises, training, and independent testing to help reduce vulnerabilities within existing product lines. Fund efforts to allow independent security researchers to report security exploits, issues, and hardware flaws which increases security posture software solution DCO-S MVCR. Transform the Manticore platform by adopting a modular architecture, enabling the rapid assembly of tailored solutions that meet the precise needs of the end user, and positioning the organization for success in a rapidly changing cyber threat environment. Develop technical documentation, obtain ATO, perform integration and tuning support, and finalize plans for product support and sustainment for space vehicle cyber defense (SVD). Support the integration of SVD products on-board space vehicles, requiring continuous development to meet the mission specific environment as well as adapt to evolving threat environments. Provide on- going systems engineering support. Maintain systems engineering, development infrastructure, and accreditation support to provide internal test and accreditation plans for security hardening and risk assessments to ensure product line software has optimum security features, countermeasures, and safeguards in place. Maintain modern and automated testing methodologies based on industry best practices. FFRDCs and other management services will continue to provide advanced mission expertise through the development of advanced analytics and machine learning to augment the identification of adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures and provide Guardians with space-based training while future proofing systems with the latest technology. Conduct integration, testing, and sustainment of classified USSF cyberspace warfare capabilities. Rapidly respond to implement system resiliency and situational awareness necessary to operate in the contested space domain. Activities may include, but are not limited to program office support, studies, technical analysis, experimentation, risk reduction, prototyping, and activities that may leverage commercial, U.S. Government partnership, and international opportunities to respond to existing and emerging adversarial threats with speed and agility.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 increase due to additional DCO-S deployments, added responsibility for mission system integration efforts, Space Vehicle Defense pivoting from development to deployment, and integration, testing and sustainment of classified efforts to enable advanced USSF cyberspace warfare operations.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Continue to expand the development, deployment, tuning, and capability of DCO-S and field to an additional 25 mission area locations (14 Manticore and 11 Kraken product lines) based on operational/user priorities; build, test, and deliver valuable features at a faster pace to meet growing demands of cyber defenders. Continue to scale development and deployment teams to increase emphasis on cyber threat recognition, information sharing, and active response methodologies to combat evolving threats and prepare for inevitable changes to the cyber domain. Augment platform, upgrade databases for all product-line documentation, grow infrastructure support of existing codebase, and operationally accept the DCO-S cloud environment to facilitate support to Joint Cyber Warfare Architecture (JCWA). Achieve multi-year Authority to Operate for the DCO-S MVP, measure performance against the Operational Capability Needs Statement, and obtain Operational Acceptance. Continue to develop technical documentation, perform integration activities and tuning support, and finalize plans for product support and sustainment. Increase deployment activities to on-board additional mission systems at a faster pace to ensure complex classified systems are protected sooner. Support cyber exercises and training to help reduce vulnerabilities within existing product lines. Fund efforts to allow independent security researchers to report security exploits, issues, and hardware flaws which increases the chances that bugs are found and reported before malicious attacks occur. Maintain systems engineering, development infrastructure, and accreditation support to provide internal test and accreditation plans for security hardening and risk assessments to ensure product line software has optimum security features, countermeasures, and safeguards in place. Maintain modern and automated testing methodologies based on industry best practices. FFRDCs and other management services will continue to provide mission assurance to identify Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) and provide users with space-based training while future proofing systems with the latest technology. Rapidly respond to implement system resiliency and situational awareness necessary to operate in the contested space domain. Activities may include, but are not limited to program office support, studies, technical analysis, experimentation, risk reduction, prototyping, and activities that may leverage commercial, U.S. Government partnership, and international opportunities to respond to existing and emerging adversarial threats with speed and agility.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 101.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 98.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 481.3 |

> 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 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 1203040SF project 673070 (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.*