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Fiscal Receipts

Distributed Cyber Warfare Operations

FRDT&EPartial Reconciliation0208087F
What it is
Distributed Cyber Warfare Operations — a research & development program run by Air Force.
What changed
+$1.20M FY25→26
Who gets it
No award linkage at high confidence.

Budget Figures

FY24 Actuals
$40.5M
FY25 Total
$30.0M
FY26 Request
$31.2M
FY25→26 Change
$1.20M

FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →

Budget Trajectory
FY24: $40.5MFY25: $30.0MFY26: $31.2MFY24FY25FY26
FY24
$40.5M
FY25
$30.0M
FY26
$31.2M
Decade view — each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
FY2015 actuals — PB2017 editionFY2016 actuals — PB2018 editionFY2017 actuals — PB2019 editionFY2018 actuals — PB2020 editionFY2019 actuals — PB2021 editionFY2020 actuals — PB2022 editionFY2021 actuals — PB2023 editionFY2022 actuals — PB2024 editionFY2023 actuals — PB2025 editionFY2024 actuals — PB2026 editionFY2016 enacted — PB2017 editionFY2017 enacted — PB2018 editionFY2018 enacted — PB2019 editionFY2019 enacted — PB2020 editionFY2020 enacted — PB2021 editionFY2021 enacted — PB2022 editionFY2022 enacted — PB2023 editionFY2023 enacted — PB2024 editionFY2024 enacted — PB2025 editionFY2025 enacted — PB2026 editionFY2017 request — PB2017 editionFY2018 request — PB2018 editionFY2019 request — PB2019 editionFY2020 request — PB2020 editionFY2021 request — PB2021 editionFY2022 request — PB2022 editionFY2023 request — PB2023 editionFY2024 request — PB2024 editionFY2025 request — PB2025 editionFY2026 request — PB2026 editionFY15FY26

● actuals (line)  ·  ○ enacted  ·  ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.

SeriesFY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
Actuals$12.9M$14.9M$24.1M$38.2M$38.9M$67.7M$65.4M$68.2M$69.4M$40.5M
Enacted$12.9M$25.0M$39.7M$40.2M$35.2M$68.2M$72.5M$76.4M$50.1M$30.0M
Request$25.0M$39.7M$40.5M$35.2M$68.3M$72.5M$113.9M$50.1M$30.0M$31.2M

blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.

Asked vs spent: the PB2023 book requested $113.9M for FY2023; the PB2025 book reports $69.4M actually spent — $44.5M below the request.

Program Lineage

No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.

Description

Mission AF Offensive Cyber Operations

Distributed Cyber Warfare Operations (DCWO) consists of a portfolio of programs and projects that conduct Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E) leading to operations-ready offensive cyberspace capabilities. This includes the transition of efforts from laboratory, industry, and academia via studies, accelerated prototyping, and technology demonstrations. DCWO effectiveness comes from balancing acquisition related RDT&E efforts in three Air Force (AF) offensive cyber operations (OCO) mission threads (Off Network, Telephony Network, and the associated Infrastructure that propel the Off Network and Telephony Network mission threads) across three OCO-related subsystems and technical enablers (Platforms, Access, and Cyber Weapons) that enable products, services, and systems in the DCWO portfolio. The resulting DCWO capabilities provide cyber effects to Combatant Commanders and other offensive cyber customers to enable air superiority. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F. In FY24 $1.995M was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in FY25 $2.046M is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $1.049 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative.” This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Justification

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)

AF Cyber Mission Platform (CMP)

Platform capabilities primarily consist of the USAF Cyber Mission Platform (CMP) program. CMP is an Acquisition Category (ACAT) III program of record that provides a modular, configurable framework for cyberspace operations. The CMP framework is currently being applied to offensive cyber operations and may also be applied to defensive cyber operations in the future as prioritized by CMP stakeholders. CMP uses an Agile acquisition strategy that allows the USAF to dynamically prioritize the delivery of operational capabilities. The CMP program develops capability enhancements on a regular cadence and delivers them to operations based on operational need and acceptance timelines. The program office will posture to work RDT&E efforts on core CMP capabilities until the USCYBERCOM Joint Common Access Platform (JCAP) is fielded for operations. Moreover, the program office will continue to conduct DCWO development activities to integrate unique, Air Force-specific, platform related capabilities in support of cyber missions.

DCWO (Formerly AF Cyber Mission Platform, Access/Infrastructure, and Payloads)

DCWO portfolio consists of a variety of capabilities previously described as Platform, Access, and Payloads products and services prior to FY 2025. In FY 2025, DCWO programs and projects are managed and delivered in a more cohesive and integrated fashion more closely aligned to OCO organizations executing operations across applicable AF OCO mission threads (Off Network, Telephony Network, and associated Infrastructure that enables the Off network and Telephony network mission threads). Therefore, the new DCWO major thrust will comprise the Platform (formerly the AF CMP thrust), Access (formerly the Access/Infrastructure thrust), and Cyber Weapons (formerly the Payloads thrust) OCO-related product lines as subsystems and technical enablers that will each consist of the Off Network, Telephony Network, and Infrastructure mission thread portfolios. DCWO products and services are managed, developed, fielded, and sustained through the AF Life Cycle Management Center, Cyber Warfare Mission Systems (AFLCMC/HNCO) Program Management Office (PMO).

Access/Infrastructure

Access and Infrastructure capabilities provide connectivity and required infrastructure to conduct OCO. USAF OCO access and infrastructure solutions are developed and fielded through the DCWO program office and also leverage industry and other Government/non-Government mission partner applications and programs.

Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)

Exhibit R-1

AccountOrgTypeAmount
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY24 Actuals$40.5M
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY25 Enacted$30.0M
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY25 Total$30.0M
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY26 Disc. Request$31.2M
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY26 Total$31.2M

Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)

ProjectAll Prior YearsFY24 ActualsFY25 TotalFY26 BaseFY26 Request
Program Element$0$40.5M$30.0M$31.2M$31.2M
674543: AF Offensive Cyber Operations$0$40.5M$30.0M$31.2M$31.2M

No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1741 programs). why coverage is partial? →

Awards

No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.

Lobbying Mentions

No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.

No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →