Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0602143A/ — data as of July 28, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Soldier Lethality Technology
Budget Figures
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? →
- FY24
- $209.1M
- FY25
- $137.8M
- FY26
- $72.7M
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $141.2M | $201.5M | $201.2M | $266.5M | $209.1M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $145.9M | $201.8M | $205.1M | $253.5M | $104.5M | $137.8M | |
| Request | – | – | $115.3M | $125.4M | $105.2M | $103.8M | $104.5M | $102.2M | $72.7M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2023 book requested $103.8M for FY2023; the PB2025 book reports $266.5M actually spent — $162.7M above 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 — Soldier Sys Interfaces/Integration- Sensor Tech
This Project investigates, designs, and validates advanced technologies and algorithms for enhancing dismounted Soldier deployed robotics and autonomous systems used to improve the Small Unit's situational awareness, survivability, and lethality. Technologies to be investigated may include: algorithms for dismounted robotic systems to enable autonomous navigation, automated object recognition, persistent surveillance, launch and recovery from vehicles, networked lethality, manned- unmanned teaming, and collaborative behaviors; and advanced user interfaces to optimize human-robotic interaction during dismounted operations. These advanced technologies will enable Squad and Platoon level autonomous reconnaissance using robotic systems to minimize the operator's dedicated control of the systems and reduce their cognitive burden, thus allowing Soldiers to be more lethal and survivable. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) / Projects to include PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project BD7 (Soldier Sys Interfaces/Integration-Sensor Tech) and Project BC9 (Advanced Soldier Sensors/Displays Advanced Technology for Dismounts). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier Lethality Technologies (CA)
This Project is for congressional increases that support applied research in support of Soldier Lethality, where the Soldier and Squad are treated as an integrated combat platform.
Mission — Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays Tech for Dismounts
This Project designs and develops low power, next generation modular sensor and display components for detection and identification of both threats and friendlies in all environments to increase situational awareness, decrease fratricide, and enable Soldiers to respond more quickly for greater lethality. This Project complements s work done in Program Element (PE) 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / BC9 (Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays AdvTech for Dismounts). Work in this Project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Training Technology (Other than STE)
This Project funds research into technologies and their applications that can inform and/or enhance the Army's live, virtual, and constructive training systems. This Project conducts research in immersive virtual, mixed, and augmented reality (AR) environments that stimulate human senses (e.g., sight, sound, and touch) and also conducts laboratory experiments to understand how users interface with the technology in order to improve the realism of simulation environments and therefore create enhanced immersion and more effective training systems. Models and simulations are designed are developed to allow realistic, fair fight engagements across all training environments and training devices, to include the cyberspace domain. Included in the investigations of this Project are also medical training systems (e.g., part-task trainers and physiological modeling). Work in this Project supports key Army needs and complements efforts in Program Element (PE) 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project BC8 (Training Advanced Technology (Other than STE)). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC) and the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC).
Mission — Personnel & Airdrop Safety Technology
This Project funds the research and investigation of component technologies to enhance cargo and personnel airdrop capabilities for global precision delivery, rapid deployment, and insertion for force projection into hostile regions. Areas of emphasis include parachute technologies, parachutist injury reduction, precision offset aerial delivery, soft landing technologies, and airdrop simulation. Technologies support the Soldier Lethality Army Modernization Priority. New operational concepts call for increased precision of personnel and cargo in austere environments in which small units are dispersed and logistical supply is limited. The Army requires enhanced payload extraction and other increased capabilities to support the airdrop requirement for current and future vehicles exceeding aircraft payload weight capacity. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and complements the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project BD6 (Soldier Sys Interfaces/ Integration- Sensor Tech), and PE 060311SA (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project BE5 (Personnel & Airdrop Safety Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Joint Service Combat Feeding Technology
This Project investigates and develops nutrient compositions and stabilization techniques to maximize the Warfighter's physical and cognitive performance on the battlefield, investigates technologies to enhance detection and identification capabilities of chemical and biological threats in foods, and develops innovative ration and field feeding technologies to reduce resupply requirements for the multi-domain battlefield. The Army serves as the Executive Agent for this Department of Defense (DoD) program, with oversight and coordination provided by the DoD Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Board. Work in this Program Element (PE) is related to and fully coordinated with PE 0602787A (Medical Technology) / Project MK4 (Warfighter Health Applied Research Technology) to develop technologies and concepts; Army Additive Manufacturing Community of Practice to enable customization, increase readiness, and improve sustainment due to fabrication of end-use items at point of need; Defense Threat Reduction Agency to maximize protection of rations from contamination; Defense Health Agency (DHA) to transition and develop materiel solutions in the microbiome technical areas; and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Joint Program Committee-5, which seeks to develop effective nutritional countermeasures against stressors and to maximize health, performance, and well-being. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier & Sm Unit Tactical Energy Tech
This Project conducts applied research and development on materials and component level power and energy technologies in the areas of energy storage, power generation, alternative energy, and intelligent power distribution and thermal management designs that support Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Soldier power needs to include next generation squad weapons and advanced optical devices and sensors. Enables future Soldier lethality and mobility for longer mission durations at lighter weights to provide enhanced lethality and tactical overmatch of adversaries, and to reduce the burden on the Soldier. This Project support key Army needs and complements the technical research of Program Element 0602184 (Soldier Applied Research) / Project CO1 (Soldier Power and Energy Concepts) and Program Element 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / BD9 (Soldier & Sm Unit Tactical Energy AdvTech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology
This Project investigates individual and crew-served weapon designs and technologies that enhance the fighting capabilities and survivability of the dismounted Warfighter in support of all of the Services. In addition, it conceives and advances weapon concepts based on innovative ballistic and advanced incapacitation technologies that will enhance the defeat of hard and soft infantry targets at extended ranges based upon the Joint Service Small Arms Technology Development Strategy (JSATDS). The Project will continue to support technology needs from all Services to include the Next Generation Family of Weapons. In addition, this Project will develop the technology/weapons concepts that will upgrade medium and heavy support weapons at echelons. Finally, this Project will perform research directed toward non-kinetic modalities to incapacitate combatants. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), and PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Soldier Protection Technology - Vulnerability
This Project investigates and develops Soldier protection methodologies, which includes the materials, methods, and models that enable design and integration of emerging material technologies into lightweight, flexible and modular Soldier equipment to protect against the range of existing and emerging battlefield threats for head, torso, and extremity protection. Specific research thrusts include the development of materials and mechanisms to enhance ballistic protection; computational models and associated laboratory experiments to provide a fundamental understanding of material properties and failure mechanisms, as well as correlation to ballistic/blast/blunt impact performance of Soldier personal protective equipment (PPE) and improved fibers, composite, and ceramic materials. Specific technologies support experimental helmets that reduce impact and blast loading to the head, Soldier torso protection systems to increase protection from ballistic and blunt impacts, and novel fibers and fabrics that provide additional survivability mechanisms. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and is fully coordinated with several PEs to include PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology); and leverages the technical research of several PEs to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics) and 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Next Gen Mobility & Lethality Tech for Warfighters
This Project investigates the means to monitor, assess, predict and optimize/enhance Soldier/small unit and decision-making and shoot and move performance. In addition, it will provide design guidance for individual and mission specific equipment (e.g., individual protection, small arms, load carriage, information portrayal etc.) and quantitative impacts on Soldier l and small unit performance in the Future Operating Environment. Research conducted focuses on translating mission-essential tasks to define and measures of human Soldier performance in the trade space of mobility, survivability, and lethality. These measures of human performance will inform predictive algorithms, human based modeling and simulation, and assessment tools that enable Soldier performance trade space analysis for acquisition, training, and doctrine. These data and algorithms will allow the Army to determine the impact of new capabilities on Soldier and small unit performance and effectiveness, understand deficiencies in performance and investigate novel strategies to optimize and enhance performance. This Project also complements and is fully coordinated with work performed across Army, Navy, and Air Force under the Human Systems Community of Interest: Protection, Sustainment, and Warfighter Performance. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Body Armor & Integrated Headborne Technology
This Project investigates and develops materials for Soldier-borne protective equipment, such as body armor and combat helmets, to increase protection from ballistic, blast, and blunt impact threats. This Project also investigates and executes systematic studies to design and develop materials, devices, systems and methods that enable the identification of protective solutions against ballistic, blast and directed energy threats. Included are investigations of emerging technologies, novel materials, and test methods and integration of personal armor, combat helmets, hearing protection, eyewear, and other personal protective equipment items. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Dismounted Soldier Survivability Materials
This Project investigates fibers, textiles, components, and materials focused on enhancing Soldier survivability from combat threats (flame and thermal, blast and ballistic, multispectral sensor, and laser threats) and environmental threats (e.g., cold, heat, wet, vector, antimicrobial, etc.) to increase operational effectiveness while decreasing the Soldier's physical and cognitive burden. The results from this Project will transition knowledge, materials, subcomponents and methods to Advanced Technology Development efforts in support of enhancing Soldier Lethality by providing protective material solutions focused on the aspects of dismounted movement and maneuver operations of the Army. This Project develops and applies validation methods that enable systematic studies of human systems integration principles and practices to protective equipment materials and designs to advance the understanding of trade-offs between protection, lethality, and mobility. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages/complements the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AZ5 (Soldier Protection Technology - Vulnerability), and PE 0603118A Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology / Project BB3 (Dismounted Soldier Survivability Equip/Tech Integ). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier Lethality Technology
This Program Element (PE) conducts fundamental research on Soldier Lethality technologies to develop an integrated Soldier and Squad architecture of equipment and systems that improve Soldier and Small Combat Unit survivability, sustainability, mobility, combat effectiveness, and individual cognitive and physical readiness. To address the challenges of integrating multiple technologies and sub-systems, research conducted in this PE, significant Science and Technology applied research investments in all areas of Soldier Lethality focuses on how to improve the effectiveness of the technologies a Soldier utilizes and apply systems-level practices to mitigate constraints from size and weight of the equipment. Research areas encompass individual and crew-served weapon designs and technologies as well as applied research in lightweight and transparent armor materials to mitigate effects from blast and ballistic threats, counter explosive hazard detection, counter-sensor capabilities, and signature management of weapons, equipment, personnel and high value targets. This PE investigates, develops and designs materials, technologies, methodologies and system models required to experiment and optimize Soldier lethality and survivability through investments in mobility, human-agent teaming, and improved situational awareness interfaces and display technologies as well as to provide Soldier-borne power and energy materials and components that support multiple Soldier-borne systems. This PE also investigates Warfighter training technologies and develops the underpinning technologies to establish architecture standards and interfaces necessary for creating realistic synthetic environments to create a single, interconnected synthetic training system to enable Army units and leaders to conduct realistic multi-echelon / multi-domain combined arms maneuver and mission command training, increasing proficiency through repetition. Human Factors Engineering projects conduct applied research to design weapon systems standards, guidelines, handbooks, and Soldier training curriculum and tools. Results of these efforts are transitioned within the Army Futures Command, the Program Executive Offices, Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), and the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). Work in this PE complements PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). Portions of this funding line support the Soldier Lethality Army Modernization Priority. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.698 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." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.362 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Soldier Lethality Technology
This Program Element (PE) conducts fundamental research on Soldier Lethality technologies to develop an integrated Soldier and Squad architecture of equipment and systems that improve Soldier and Small Combat Unit survivability, sustainability, mobility, combat effectiveness, and individual cognitive and physical readiness. To address the challenges of integrating multiple technologies and sub-systems, research conducted in this PE, significant Science and Technology applied research investments in all areas of Soldier Lethality focuses on how to improve the effectiveness of the technologies a Soldier utilizes and apply systems-level practices to mitigate constraints from size and weight of the equipment. Research areas encompass individual and crew-served weapon designs and technologies as well as applied research in lightweight and transparent armor materials to mitigate effects from blast and ballistic threats, counter explosive hazard detection, counter-sensor capabilities, and signature management of weapons, equipment, personnel and high value targets. This PE investigates, develops and designs materials, technologies, methodologies and system models required to experiment and optimize Soldier lethality and survivability through investments in mobility, human-agent teaming, and improved situational awareness interfaces and display technologies as well as to provide Soldier-borne power and energy materials and components that support multiple Soldier-borne systems. This PE also investigates Warfighter training technologies and develops the underpinning technologies to establish architecture standards and interfaces necessary for creating realistic synthetic environments to create a single, interconnected synthetic training system to enable Army units and leaders to conduct realistic multi-echelon / multi-domain combined arms maneuver and mission command training, increasing proficiency through repetition. Human Factors Engineering projects conduct applied research to design weapon systems standards, guidelines, handbooks, and Soldier training curriculum and tools. Results of these efforts are transitioned within the Army Futures Command, the Program Executive Offices, Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), and the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). Work in this PE complements PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). Portions of this funding line support the Soldier Lethality Army Modernization Priority. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.698 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." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.362 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Body Armor & Integrated Headborne Technology
This Project investigates and develops materials for Soldier-borne protective equipment, such as body armor and combat helmets, to increase protection from ballistic, blast, and blunt impact threats. This Project also investigates and executes systematic studies to design and develop materials, devices, systems and methods that enable the identification of protective solutions against ballistic, blast and directed energy threats. Included are investigations of emerging technologies, novel materials, and test methods and integration of personal armor, combat helmets, hearing protection, eyewear, and other personal protective equipment items. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology
This Project investigates individual and crew-served weapon designs and technologies that enhance the fighting capabilities and survivability of the dismounted Warfighter in support of all of the Services. In addition, it conceives and advances weapon concepts based on innovative ballistic and advanced incapacitation technologies that will enhance the defeat of hard and soft infantry targets at extended ranges based upon the Joint Service Small Arms Technology Development Strategy (JSATDS). The Project will continue to support technology needs from all Services to include the Next Generation Family of Weapons. In addition, this Project will develop the technology/weapons concepts that will upgrade medium and heavy support weapons at echelons. Finally, this Project will perform research directed toward non-kinetic modalities to incapacitate combatants. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), and PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Soldier Protection Technology - Vulnerability
This Project investigates and develops Soldier protection methodologies, which includes the materials, methods, and models that enable design and integration of emerging material technologies into lightweight, flexible and modular Soldier equipment to protect against the range of existing and emerging battlefield threats for head, torso, and extremity protection. Specific research thrusts include the development of materials and mechanisms to enhance ballistic protection; computational models and associated laboratory experiments to provide a fundamental understanding of material properties and failure mechanisms, as well as correlation to ballistic/blast/blunt impact performance of Soldier personal protective equipment (PPE) and improved fibers, composite, and ceramic materials. Specific technologies support experimental helmets that reduce impact and blast loading to the head, Soldier torso protection systems to increase protection from ballistic and blunt impacts, and novel fibers and fabrics that provide additional survivability mechanisms. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and is fully coordinated with several PEs to include PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology); and leverages the technical research of several PEs to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics) and 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Dismounted Soldier Survivability Materials
This Project investigates fibers, textiles, components, and materials focused on enhancing Soldier survivability from combat threats (flame and thermal, blast and ballistic, multispectral sensor, and laser threats) and environmental threats (e.g., cold, heat, wet, vector, antimicrobial, etc.) to increase operational effectiveness while decreasing the Soldier's physical and cognitive burden. The results from this Project will transition knowledge, materials, subcomponents and methods to Advanced Technology Development efforts in support of enhancing Soldier Lethality by providing protective material solutions focused on the aspects of dismounted movement and maneuver operations of the Army. This Project develops and applies validation methods that enable systematic studies of human systems integration principles and practices to protective equipment materials and designs to advance the understanding of trade-offs between protection, lethality, and mobility. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages/complements the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AZ5 (Soldier Protection Technology - Vulnerability), and PE 0603118A Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology / Project BB3 (Dismounted Soldier Survivability Equip/Tech Integ). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays Tech for Dismounts
This Project designs and develops low power, next generation modular sensor and display components for detection and identification of both threats and friendlies in all environments to increase situational awareness, decrease fratricide, and enable Soldiers to respond more quickly for greater lethality. This Project complements s work done in Program Element (PE) 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / BC9 (Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays AdvTech for Dismounts). Work in this Project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Soldier Sys Interfaces/Integration- Sensor Tech
This Project investigates, designs, and validates advanced technologies and algorithms for enhancing dismounted Soldier deployed robotics and autonomous systems used to improve the Small Unit's situational awareness, survivability, and lethality. Technologies to be investigated may include: algorithms for dismounted robotic systems to enable autonomous navigation, automated object recognition, persistent surveillance, launch and recovery from vehicles, networked lethality, manned- unmanned teaming, and collaborative behaviors; and advanced user interfaces to optimize human-robotic interaction during dismounted operations. These advanced technologies will enable Squad and Platoon level autonomous reconnaissance using robotic systems to minimize the operator's dedicated control of the systems and reduce their cognitive burden, thus allowing Soldiers to be more lethal and survivable. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and leverages the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) / Projects to include PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project BD7 (Soldier Sys Interfaces/Integration-Sensor Tech) and Project BC9 (Advanced Soldier Sensors/Displays Advanced Technology for Dismounts). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier & Sm Unit Tactical Energy Tech
This Project conducts applied research and development on materials and component level power and energy technologies in the areas of energy storage, power generation, alternative energy, and intelligent power distribution and thermal management designs that support Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Soldier power needs to include next generation squad weapons and advanced optical devices and sensors. Enables future Soldier lethality and mobility for longer mission durations at lighter weights to provide enhanced lethality and tactical overmatch of adversaries, and to reduce the burden on the Soldier. This Project support key Army needs and complements the technical research of Program Element 0602184 (Soldier Applied Research) / Project CO1 (Soldier Power and Energy Concepts) and Program Element 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / BD9 (Soldier & Sm Unit Tactical Energy AdvTech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Next Gen Mobility & Lethality Tech for Warfighters
This Project investigates the means to monitor, assess, predict and optimize/enhance Soldier/small unit and decision-making and shoot and move performance. In addition, it will provide design guidance for individual and mission specific equipment (e.g., individual protection, small arms, load carriage, information portrayal etc.) and quantitative impacts on Soldier l and small unit performance in the Future Operating Environment. Research conducted focuses on translating mission-essential tasks to define and measures of human Soldier performance in the trade space of mobility, survivability, and lethality. These measures of human performance will inform predictive algorithms, human based modeling and simulation, and assessment tools that enable Soldier performance trade space analysis for acquisition, training, and doctrine. These data and algorithms will allow the Army to determine the impact of new capabilities on Soldier and small unit performance and effectiveness, understand deficiencies in performance and investigate novel strategies to optimize and enhance performance. This Project also complements and is fully coordinated with work performed across Army, Navy, and Air Force under the Human Systems Community of Interest: Protection, Sustainment, and Warfighter Performance. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Training Technology (Other than STE)
This Project funds research into technologies and their applications that can inform and/or enhance the Army's live, virtual, and constructive training systems. This Project conducts research in immersive virtual, mixed, and augmented reality (AR) environments that stimulate human senses (e.g., sight, sound, and touch) and also conducts laboratory experiments to understand how users interface with the technology in order to improve the realism of simulation environments and therefore create enhanced immersion and more effective training systems. Models and simulations are designed are developed to allow realistic, fair fight engagements across all training environments and training devices, to include the cyberspace domain. Included in the investigations of this Project are also medical training systems (e.g., part-task trainers and physiological modeling). Work in this Project supports key Army needs and complements efforts in Program Element (PE) 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project BC8 (Training Advanced Technology (Other than STE)). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC) and the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC).
Mission — Joint Service Combat Feeding Technology
This Project investigates and develops nutrient compositions and stabilization techniques to maximize the Warfighter's physical and cognitive performance on the battlefield, investigates technologies to enhance detection and identification capabilities of chemical and biological threats in foods, and develops innovative ration and field feeding technologies to reduce resupply requirements for the multi-domain battlefield. The Army serves as the Executive Agent for this Department of Defense (DoD) program, with oversight and coordination provided by the DoD Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Board. Work in this Program Element (PE) is related to and fully coordinated with PE 0602787A (Medical Technology) / Project MK4 (Warfighter Health Applied Research Technology) to develop technologies and concepts; Army Additive Manufacturing Community of Practice to enable customization, increase readiness, and improve sustainment due to fabrication of end-use items at point of need; Defense Threat Reduction Agency to maximize protection of rations from contamination; Defense Health Agency (DHA) to transition and develop materiel solutions in the microbiome technical areas; and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Joint Program Committee-5, which seeks to develop effective nutritional countermeasures against stressors and to maximize health, performance, and well-being. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Mission — Soldier Lethality Technologies (CA)
This Project is for congressional increases that support applied research in support of Soldier Lethality, where the Soldier and Squad are treated as an integrated combat platform.
Mission — Personnel & Airdrop Safety Technology
This Project funds the research and investigation of component technologies to enhance cargo and personnel airdrop capabilities for global precision delivery, rapid deployment, and insertion for force projection into hostile regions. Areas of emphasis include parachute technologies, parachutist injury reduction, precision offset aerial delivery, soft landing technologies, and airdrop simulation. Technologies support the Soldier Lethality Army Modernization Priority. New operational concepts call for increased precision of personnel and cargo in austere environments in which small units are dispersed and logistical supply is limited. The Army requires enhanced payload extraction and other increased capabilities to support the airdrop requirement for current and future vehicles exceeding aircraft payload weight capacity. Work in this Project supports key Army needs and complements the technical research of several Program Elements (PEs) to include PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project BD6 (Soldier Sys Interfaces/ Integration- Sensor Tech), and PE 060311SA (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project BE5 (Personnel & Airdrop Safety Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (40)
Soldier System Interfaces & Integration (Sensor Technology)
This effort will investigate, design, and validate advanced dismounted Soldier robotic and autonomous systems technologies to enable autonomous navigation, manned-unmanned teaming, and networked reconnaissance to improve Soldier lethality, situational awareness, and survivability during tactical operations.
Advanced Soldier Sensors/Displays Technology for Dismounts
This effort models, simulates, investigates, designs, and develops novel low power, modular electro-optic / infrared (EO/IR), displays, augmented reality approaches and integrates aided/automatic target detection and recognition techniques to enable improved Soldier maneuver and lethality through greater information fidelity to increase Soldier probability of recognition/ identification and tracking of all threats.
Personnel & Airdrop Safety Technology
This effort investigates technologies that enhance payload extraction, which will allow current vehicles to be dropped with more armor and support equipment, and reduce the design constraint on future vehicles that have airdrop as an operational requirement, increase parachute gliding capabilities, and mature delivery accuracy of cargo aerial delivery systems that support varying payload weights. Research in the area of novel parachute materials will provide increased capabilities for cargo and personnel aerial delivery systems. This effort will support an investigation of new Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools to develop validation methods for airdrop concepts. This effort also investigates technologies that advance airborne personnel insertion safety requirements to modernize the Airborne Soldier and provide the ability to effectively execute the airborne mission through reducing safety risk and increasing capabilities.
Multi-Domain Environments for Training
This effort will define a new, common MDO competency framework to drive machine-supported training performance data collection, tracking and readiness projections for current and new MDO use-cases. This effort also investigates emerging operational/training paradigms, including a detailed focus on modeling non-combat factors of operational environments and developing models necessary to train for Information Advantage.
Simulation Management Technologies
This effort aims to automate management of resources and equipment associated with the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of individual through collective training exercises. This effort will inform requirements and research capabilities to enable a self-healing simulation architecture that can automatically architect, configure, detect, deploy, and manage resources to support individual and collective training use-cases. The design and development of fully autonomous constructive models will be leveraged within this architecture to further automate exercise execution and greatly increase time and effectiveness of training and readiness opportunities within the distributed training environment.
Digital Terrain for Live Training
This effort investigates technologies to enhance the fidelity and visual effects of digital terrain for live training systems, with an objective metric of reducing overall training time to gain proficiency in the live environment. It addresses live training needs for conducting force-on-force, combined arms exercises to enhance readiness at Army home stations and Combat Training Centers by enhancing vertical terrain resolution, physics-based blast effects on terrain, and data compression technologies.
Warfighting M/S Concepts and Design (ICT)
This Project designs and develops photorealistic synthetic environments, multi-sensory interfaces, artificially intelligent agents, and human performance assessment technologies to create virtual, augmented, and mixed reality simulation environments for training. This Project uses advanced modeling, simulation, and leadership development techniques to leverage the emerging immersive technologies of industry and the research and development community to advance the Army's capabilities.
Medical Training Technology
Included in this effort will be the development of new medical training simulations to train medical personnel across all levels of care. Improvements in haptic capabilities will ensure hyper bio-fidelity for all levels of care. Automated measures of student performance will support Army medical Individual Critical Task Lists (ICTLs). Research areas will also include more realistic tissue properties supporting part-task trainers and modular patient simulator systems. Initial exploration of Army ICTLs will result in early proof-of-concept development of proof-of concept training systems to support non-traditional medical areas, such as dental training simulations.
Joint Service Combat Feeding Technology
This effort investigates, designs, and develops nutrient compositions and stabilization techniques to maximize the Warfighter's physical and cognitive performance on the battlefield. The effort investigates technologies to enhance detection and identification capabilities of chemical and biological threats in foods and develops innovative ration and field feeding technologies to reduce resupply requirements. Work in this area results in increased performance, less food-borne illness, and overall increased readiness of the Warfighter.
Materials & Component Technologies for Energy Independence
The effort develops technologies to substantially reduce the number of batteries required to accomplish dismounted Soldier/Squad mission objectives by developing more efficient power and thermal management for small systems and harvesting energy and alternative energy technologies thereby significantly reducing Soldier-borne load and logistics requirements for Soldier/Squad power and energy.
Tactical Power for Soldier Lethality
This effort investigates, designs, and develops innovative materials and component level power generation and energy storage technologies that support next generation weapons, sensors, radios, and human augmentation devices enabling Soldiers and Small Units to maximize probability of target hits, improve collective situational awareness, ensure multiple communication streams, and assist with tactical tasks in order to decrease Soldier load and power burden, and increase power capabilities by providing more energy to prolong mission run-time.
Soldier Situational Awareness Technologies
This effort will investigate, design, and validate advanced dismounted Soldier robotic and autonomous systems technologies to enable autonomous navigation, manned-unmanned teaming, and networked reconnaissance to improve Soldier lethality, situational awareness, and survivability during tactical operations.
Body Armor & Integrated Headborne Technology
This research effort supports the investigation of novel materials, component designs, and material modeling to design and develop technologies that protect Soldiers against ballistic, blast, and directed energy threats. This effort utilizes a cross-disciplinary, human-focused approach to develop technologies which optimize tradeoffs in ballistic and blast protective component design. This effort addresses the Army challenge of easing overburdened Soldiers in small units and aligns to Soldier protection modernization priorities.
Soldier Protection Technologies
This effort develops integrated lightweight, flexible, and modular protection equipment that is tailored to support the 'Soldier as a system' approach for defeat of emerging threats. Research areas encompass high fidelity ballistic impact injury models for hard and soft tissues, novel ceramic architectures to include graded and hierarchically structured ceramics, and novel fiber solutions for backing materials to deliver Soldier protection systems to meet emerging ballistic and signature management threats. This effort supports small caliber lethal mechanisms research in PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AY6 (Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology).
Soldier-Borne Advanced Protection Materials
Utilizing understanding of protection materials such as armor ceramics and associated failure mechanisms, conduct applied research of emerging armor materials to enable affordable design of lightweight ballistic protective systems for the future Soldier. Provide quantitative scientific basis for modeling and simulation that result in materials that utilize new lethal mechanisms/protection schemes for the individual Warfighter. This effort supports Soldier Protection Technologies bullet and small caliber lethal mechanisms research in PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AY6 (Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology).
Novel Camouflage and Concealment Materials
The modern battlefield presents a new generation of detection threats across a wide range of wavelengths and host platforms, coupled with increasingly sophisticated computational analysis tools for identification and targeting. This effort will develop new materials and manufacturing concepts that enable a new generation of lightweight, efficient camouflage and concealment systems for the dismounted Soldier.
Dismounted Soldier Survivability Materials
This effort investigates materials, devices and methods that aid in the design and development of multifunctional materials for Soldier protective clothing and individual equipment. This effort conducts research to investigate and identify multi-functional material properties at the micron and sub-micron level to mitigate Soldiers susceptibility and vulnerability to operational threat, i.e., flame, thermal, environmental, and multispectral sensors. Efforts also investigate and develop devices and systems that enable extended dismounted mission duration by reducing the demand for water resupply and enabling Squad organic water filtration systems
Human Interaction for Mobility & Lethality
This effort investigates and develops human performance based design guidance for protection and weapon systems and sub systems to improve the mobility and lethality of individuals and small units. The applied research translates traditional means for measuring and understanding human performance to the means to conduct assessment for Warfighter and small unit readiness and/or new capabilities.
Small Arms Enabling Technologies
This effort designs and develops small arms weapon systems, enablers, and ammunition technologies that will maintain decisive lethal overmatch capabilities to the Joint Warfighter. This effort matures small arms weapon system designs in support of Joint Warfighter's capability needs.
Soldier/Squad Lethality Technology
This effort conceives and investigates advanced weapons concepts based on innovative ballistic technologies that will enhance the defeat of hard and soft infantry targets at extended ranges to ensure overmatch for Soldier Lethality. This effort will also perform research directed toward non-ballistic modalities to incapacitate combatants.
Novel Camouflage and Concealment Materials
The modern battlefield presents a new generation of detection threats across a wide range of wavelengths and host platforms, coupled with increasingly sophisticated computational analysis tools for identification and targeting. This effort will develop new materials and manufacturing concepts that enable a new generation of lightweight, efficient camouflage and concealment systems for the dismounted Soldier.
Body Armor & Integrated Headborne Technology
This research effort supports the investigation of novel materials, component designs, and material modeling to design and develop technologies that protect Soldiers against ballistic, blast, and directed energy threats. This effort utilizes a cross-disciplinary, human-focused approach to develop technologies which optimize tradeoffs in ballistic and blast protective component design. This effort addresses the Army challenge of easing overburdened Soldiers in small units and aligns to Soldier protection modernization priorities.
Soldier/Squad Lethality Technology
This effort conceives and investigates advanced weapons concepts based on innovative ballistic technologies that will enhance the defeat of hard and soft infantry targets at extended ranges to ensure overmatch for Soldier Lethality. This effort will also perform research directed toward non-ballistic modalities to incapacitate combatants.
Soldier-Borne Advanced Protection Materials
Utilizing understanding of protection materials such as armor ceramics and associated failure mechanisms, conduct applied research of emerging armor materials to enable affordable design of lightweight ballistic protective systems for the future Soldier. Provide quantitative scientific basis for modeling and simulation that result in materials that utilize new lethal mechanisms/protection schemes for the individual Warfighter. This effort supports Soldier Protection Technologies bullet and small caliber lethal mechanisms research in PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AY6 (Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology).
Soldier Protection Technologies
This effort develops integrated lightweight, flexible, and modular protection equipment that is tailored to support the 'Soldier as a system' approach for defeat of emerging threats. Research areas encompass high fidelity ballistic impact injury models for hard and soft tissues, novel ceramic architectures to include graded and hierarchically structured ceramics, and novel fiber solutions for backing materials to deliver Soldier protection systems to meet emerging ballistic and signature management threats. This effort supports small caliber lethal mechanisms research in PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) / Project AY6 (Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology).
Multi-Domain Environments for Training
This effort will define a new, common MDO competency framework to drive machine-supported training performance data collection, tracking and readiness projections for current and new MDO use-cases. This effort also investigates emerging operational/training paradigms, including a detailed focus on modeling non-combat factors of operational environments and developing models necessary to train for Information Advantage.
Digital Terrain for Live Training
This effort investigates technologies to enhance the fidelity and visual effects of digital terrain for live training systems, with an objective metric of reducing overall training time to gain proficiency in the live environment. It addresses live training needs for conducting force-on-force, combined arms exercises to enhance readiness at Army home stations and Combat Training Centers by enhancing vertical terrain resolution, physics-based blast effects on terrain, and data compression technologies.
Small Arms Enabling Technologies
This effort designs and develops small arms weapon systems, enablers, and ammunition technologies that will maintain decisive lethal overmatch capabilities to the Joint Warfighter. This effort matures small arms weapon system designs in support of Joint Warfighter's capability needs.
Advanced Soldier Sensors/Displays Technology for Dismounts
This effort models, simulates, investigates, designs, and develops novel low power, modular electro-optic / infrared (EO/IR), displays, augmented reality approaches and integrates aided/automatic target detection and recognition techniques to enable improved Soldier maneuver and lethality through greater information fidelity to increase Soldier probability of recognition/ identification and tracking of all threats.
Soldier System Interfaces & Integration (Sensor Technology)
This effort will investigate, design, and validate advanced dismounted Soldier robotic and autonomous systems technologies to enable autonomous navigation, manned-unmanned teaming, and networked reconnaissance to improve Soldier lethality, situational awareness, and survivability during tactical operations.
Soldier Situational Awareness Technologies
This effort will investigate, design, and validate advanced dismounted Soldier robotic and autonomous systems technologies to enable autonomous navigation, manned-unmanned teaming, and networked reconnaissance to improve Soldier lethality, situational awareness, and survivability during tactical operations.
Tactical Power for Soldier Lethality
This effort investigates, designs, and develops innovative materials and component level power generation and energy storage technologies that support next generation weapons, sensors, radios, and human augmentation devices enabling Soldiers and Small Units to maximize probability of target hits, improve collective situational awareness, ensure multiple communication streams, and assist with tactical tasks in order to decrease Soldier load and power burden, and increase power capabilities by providing more energy to prolong mission run-time.
Materials & Component Technologies for Energy Independence
The effort develops technologies to substantially reduce the number of batteries required to accomplish dismounted Soldier/Squad mission objectives by developing more efficient power and thermal management for small systems and harvesting energy and alternative energy technologies thereby significantly reducing Soldier-borne load and logistics requirements for Soldier/Squad power and energy.
Dismounted Soldier Survivability Materials
This effort investigates materials, devices and methods that aid in the design and development of multifunctional materials for Soldier protective clothing and individual equipment. This effort conducts research to investigate and identify multi-functional material properties at the micron and sub-micron level to mitigate Soldiers susceptibility and vulnerability to operational threat, i.e., flame, thermal, environmental, and multispectral sensors. Efforts also investigate and develop devices and systems that enable extended dismounted mission duration by reducing the demand for water resupply and enabling Squad organic water filtration systems
Human Interaction for Mobility & Lethality
This effort investigates and develops human performance based design guidance for protection and weapon systems and sub systems to improve the mobility and lethality of individuals and small units. The applied research translates traditional means for measuring and understanding human performance to the means to conduct assessment for Warfighter and small unit readiness and/or new capabilities.
Medical Training Technology
Included in this effort will be the development of new medical training simulations to train medical personnel across all levels of care. Improvements in haptic capabilities will ensure hyper bio-fidelity for all levels of care. Automated measures of student performance will support Army medical Individual Critical Task Lists (ICTLs). Research areas will also include more realistic tissue properties supporting part-task trainers and modular patient simulator systems. Initial exploration of Army ICTLs will result in early proof-of-concept development of proof-of concept training systems to support non-traditional medical areas, such as dental training simulations.
Warfighting M/S Concepts and Design (ICT)
This Project designs and develops photorealistic synthetic environments, multi-sensory interfaces, artificially intelligent agents, and human performance assessment technologies to create virtual, augmented, and mixed reality simulation environments for training. This Project uses advanced modeling, simulation, and leadership development techniques to leverage the emerging immersive technologies of industry and the research and development community to advance the Army's capabilities.
Simulation Management Technologies
This effort aims to automate management of resources and equipment associated with the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of individual through collective training exercises. This effort will inform requirements and research capabilities to enable a self-healing simulation architecture that can automatically architect, configure, detect, deploy, and manage resources to support individual and collective training use-cases. The design and development of fully autonomous constructive models will be leveraged within this architecture to further automate exercise execution and greatly increase time and effectiveness of training and readiness opportunities within the distributed training environment.
Joint Service Combat Feeding Technology
This effort investigates, designs, and develops nutrient compositions and stabilization techniques to maximize the Warfighter's physical and cognitive performance on the battlefield. The effort investigates technologies to enhance detection and identification capabilities of chemical and biological threats in foods and develops innovative ration and field feeding technologies to reduce resupply requirements. Work in this area results in increased performance, less food-borne illness, and overall increased readiness of the Warfighter.
Personnel & Airdrop Safety Technology
This effort investigates technologies that enhance payload extraction, which will allow current vehicles to be dropped with more armor and support equipment, and reduce the design constraint on future vehicles that have airdrop as an operational requirement, increase parachute gliding capabilities, and mature delivery accuracy of cargo aerial delivery systems that support varying payload weights. Research in the area of novel parachute materials will provide increased capabilities for cargo and personnel aerial delivery systems. This effort will support an investigation of new Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools to develop validation methods for airdrop concepts. This effort also investigates technologies that advance airborne personnel insertion safety requirements to modernize the Airborne Soldier and provide the ability to effectively execute the airborne mission through reducing safety risk and increasing capabilities.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY24 Actuals | $209.1M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Enacted | $137.8M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Total | $137.8M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Disc. Request | $72.7M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Total | $72.7M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
| Project | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BD6: Soldier Sys Interfaces/Integration- Sensor Tech | $301.0K | $401.0K | $299.0K | $299.0K |
| AY6: Soldier Squad Small Arms Armaments Technology | $10.0M | $10.3M | $3.23M | $3.23M |
| BR9: Personnel & Airdrop Safety Technology | $3.03M | $3.10M | $3.56M | $3.56M |
| BE3: Joint Service Combat Feeding Technology | $4.07M | $4.08M | $4.28M | $4.28M |
| AZ2: Body Armor & Integrated Headborne Technology | $6.32M | $5.81M | $4.74M | $4.74M |
| BB4: Dismounted Soldier Survivability Materials | $4.84M | $5.27M | $4.79M | $4.79M |
| BC2: Next Gen Mobility & Lethality Tech for Warfighters | $6.73M | $8.33M | $5.62M | $5.62M |
| AZ5: Soldier Protection Technology - Vulnerability | $10.2M | $9.90M | $8.32M | $8.32M |
| BD1: Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays Tech for Dismounts | $16.3M | $17.6M | $17.1M | $17.1M |
| BC7: Training Technology (Other than STE) | $32.6M | $29.4M | $20.8M | $20.8M |
| Program Element | $209.1M | $137.8M | $72.7M | $72.7M |
| BP9: Soldier Lethality Technologies (CA) | $107.8M | $43.5M | — | — |
| BD8: Soldier & Sm Unit Tactical Energy Tech | $6.91M | — | — | — |
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? →