Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0602890D8Z/ — data as of August 12, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
High Energy Laser Research
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? →
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $46.5M |
| FY25 | $48.6M |
| FY26 | $48.7M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $44.2M | $47.6M | $46.5M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $45.9M | $48.6M | $48.8M | $48.6M | |
| Request | – | – | $46.0M | $48.6M | $48.8M | $48.6M | $48.7M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $48.8M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $46.5M as actual total obligation authority — $2.30M below the request. 46.5 − 48.8 = -2.3 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
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 — High Energy Laser Research
This program is executed via the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO) in alignment the Department of Defense Directed Energy Roadmap, as well as other strategic guidance. Section 219 of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act designated a senior official for directed energy and redesignated a legacy office as the JDETO with reporting to the senior official. Currently, the Principal Director for Directed Energy serves as this senior official and updates the Department of Defense Directed Energy Roadmap on an annual basis. The goal of this program, in turn, is to support the Department’s initiatives in directed energy to build a sustainable and long-term advantage, as well as a resilient Joint force and defense ecosystem. This program funds applied research in directed energy to enable future defense capabilities realized by the Services and Agencies. These efforts include studies, investigations, and component and subsystem design and development to further the knowledge base of high energy laser and high power microwave technologies. In practice, directed energy weapon systems have many potential advantages, including speed-of-light time-to-target, high precision, low incremental cost per kill, and a magazine that is recharged through on-board, fuel-based power and thermal management systems that reduce logistics requirements in contrast to stocks of munitions or warheads. As a result, directed energy weapon systems have the potential to perform a wide variety of military missions. Activities conducted under this program are generally chosen for their potential to have an impact on multiple directed energy weapon systems and multiple military missions while complementing specific Service and Agency needs.
Mission — High Energy Laser Development
This project is part of an overall Department of Defense strategy in Joint directed energy applied research. Efforts within this project will focus on the advanced technologies necessary to increase lethality, expand the mission set, and counter future adversaries. Advancements provided by this project are essential to improve the performance of existing and new directed energy weapon systems. This project builds upon other investments in directed energy applied research by the Services and Agencies to harmonize Department efforts and eliminate duplication. In support, efforts in this project have been coordinated with the Department of Defense Directed Energy and Non-Lethal Weapons Science and Technology Community of Interest. This project is executed via a technical program within the JDETO referred to as the Directed Energy Enabling Tech Program, which enables (1) applied research in high energy laser and high power microwave technologies that support eventual system-level integration and (2) proof of concept tech demonstrations in a laboratory environment with Joint-international participation. Note that (1) and (2) are in alignment with the near-, mid-, and long-term goals of Department of Defense Directed Energy Roadmap and encourage transition.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (2)
Directed Energy Applied Research
Mature technologies that improve component-level performance and enable fieldable directed energy weapon systems. Develop technologies that support improving beam control and beam propagation for directed energy weapon systems. Conduct directed energy vulnerability experiments on materials, components, and targets. Develop lethality databases and integrate technologies into system-level architectures.
Directed Energy Enabling Tech Program
The Directed Energy Enabling Tech Program is a technical program within the JDETO that enables (1) applied research in high energy laser and high power microwave technologies that support eventual system-level integration and (2) proof of concept tech demonstrations in a laboratory environment with Joint-international participation. Note that (1) and (2) are in alignment with the near-, mid-, and long-term goals of Department of Defense Directed Energy Roadmap.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide | OSD | FY24 Actuals | $46.5M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide | OSD | FY25 Enacted | $48.6M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide | OSD | FY25 Total | $48.6M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide | OSD | FY26 Disc. Request | $48.7M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide | OSD | FY26 Total | $48.7M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $91.8M | $46.5M | $48.6M | $48.7M | $48.7M |
| 890: High Energy Laser Development | $91.8M | $46.5M | $48.6M | $48.7M | $48.7M |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 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
6 mentions from the Senate LDA disclosure database.
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 (HR 4016/S 2572); provisions regarding R&D - Navy, Air Force, Space…
Fiscal Year 2024 Department of Defense Authorization bill, Issues related to the implemenation of TRANSCOM's GHC…
Fiscal Year 2024 Department of Defense Authorization bill, Issues related to the implemenation of TRANSCOM's GHC…
Fiscal Year 2024 Department of Defense Authorization bill, Issues related to the implemenation of TRANSCOM's GHC…
Fiscal Year 2024 Department of Defense Authorization bill, Issues related to the implemenation of TRANSCOM's GHC…
S (not yet introduced)/HR 8774 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2025 including issues related to aircraft…
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not High Energy Laser Research — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →