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Updated April 30, 2019
Defense Primer: RDT&E
Advanced technology plays a critical role in ensuring U.S.
fund. Congress establishes transfer funds for a particular
national security. To maintain technological superiority on
purpose, and may authorize DOD to transfer a portion of
the battlefield, the Department of Defense (DOD) relies on
these funds to other accounts, such as RDT&E, to help
scientific and technical knowledge developed in large
achieve that purpose.
measure through research, development, test, and
evaluation (RDT&E) funded by the department and
Defense Appropriations Act Titles That Fund RDT&E
performed by industry, universities, federal laboratories,
and others. DOD also relies increasingly on technology
Title IV: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation
developed by the private sector for commercial markets.
Army
This In Focus describes DOD’s RDT&E appropriations
Navy
structure and funding levels.
Air Force
Defense-wide
DOD appropriations are provided annually through the
Operational Test and Evaluation
defense appropriations act, one of the 12 regular
Title V: Revolving and Management Funds
appropriations acts that provide most of the discretionary
National Defense Sealift Fund
funding for operation of the federal government. DOD
Title VI: Other Defense Programs
RDT&E funding is generally provided in four of this act’s
Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction
titles (see box). Congress also sometimes provides DOD
Defense Health Program
RDT&E funding through supplemental appropriations acts.
Inspector General
Congress appropriated a total of $99.0 billion for DOD
Title IX: Overseas Contingency Operations
RDT&E for FY2019 in the Defense Appropriations Act,
Any of the above
2019, included as Division A of the Department of Defense
Transfer Funds
and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations
RDT&E by Character of Work
Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245).
While DOD Title IV funds are appropriated only by
RDT&E by Organization
organization, DOD budget justifications and congressional
appropriations reports and explanatory statements also
RDT&E Appropriations Under Title IV
typically describe this funding by the character of the work
to be performed. This characterization consists of seven
Approximately 96% of DOD’s RDT&E funding is
categories, each with a budget activity code (6.1 through
appropriated in Title IV (Research, Development, Test, and
6.7) and a description. (See Table 1.)
Evaluation), which includes appropriations for the Army,
Navy, Air Force, a Defense-wide RDT&E account, and the
Table 1. DOD RDT&E Budget Activity Codes
Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. The Defense-
wide account includes the Missile Defense Agency (MDA),
Code Description
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),
6.1
Basic Research
Office of the Secretary of Defense, and 15 other DOD
organizations. Within each of these accounts are program
6.2
Applied Research
elements (PEs) that provide funding for particular activities
6.3
Advanced Technology Development
(e.g., night vision technology, aviation survivability).
6.4
Adv. Component Development and Prototypes
RDT&E Under Other Titles
6.5
System Development and Demonstration
RDT&E funds are also appropriated for programs in other
6.6
RDT&E Management Support
titles of the defense appropriations act. For example,
RDT&E funds are sometimes appropriated as part of the
6.7
Operational Systems Development
National Defense Sealift Fund in Title V and as part of the
Source: Department of Defense, Financial Management Regulation
Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction Program and
(DoD 7000.14-R), Volume 2B, November 2017.
Defense Health Program in Title VI.
Funding in codes 6.1 to 6.3 is referred to by DOD as the
In some years, RDT&E funds have also been appropriated
science and technology (S&T) budget. This portion of DOD
in Title IX as part of DOD’s funding for Overseas
RDT&E is often singled out for attention by analysts, as it
Contingency Operations (OCO). Typically, the RDT&E
is seen as the pool of knowledge necessary for the
funds appropriated for OCO activities support specified PEs
development of future military systems. In contrast, 6.4,
in Title IV, though they are requested and accounted for
6.5, and 6.7 funds are focused on the application of existing
separately. Alternatively, they may be provided to a transfer
scientific and technical knowledge to meet current or near-
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Defense Primer: RDT&E
term operational needs. The funds in 6.6 are for RDT&E
Figure 2. Title IV and Title IX (OCO) RDT&E by
management and support work in any of the other RDT&E
Organization, FY2019
budget accounts. Within the S&T program, basic research
(6.1) receives special attention, particularly by the nation’s
universities. DOD spends nearly half of its basic research
budget at universities. DOD is a substantial source of
federal funds for university R&D in certain fields, such as
aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering
(40%); electrical, electronic, and communications
engineering (39%); mechanical engineering (28%); and
metallurgical and materials engineering (24%); computer
and information sciences (28%); and materials science
(25%).
Funding Profile of DOD RDT&E
Total DOD RDT&E for FY2019 is $99.0 billion, of which
Title IV funding accounts for $94.8 billion (95.7%). (See
Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Title IV Share of Total RDT&E, FY2019
Source: CRS analysis of Department of Defense, FY020 RDT&E
Programs (R-1), May 18, 2019.
Figure 3 illustrates FY2019 Title IV and Title IX (OCO)
RDT&E funding by character of work. DOD S&T funding
(6.1-6.3) accounted for $15.7 billion (16.3%) of this
funding. RDT&E funds provided in other DOD
appropriations titles and supplemental acts are not included
in this analysis as they are not parsed by character of work.
Figure 3. RDT&E by Character of Work, FY2019
Total obligational authority, in bil ions of current dol ars
Source: CRS analysis of Department of Defense, FY020 RDT&E
Programs (R-1), May 18, 2019.
FY2019 RDT&E provided by Title IV and Title IX (OCO)
is $96.0 billion. The composition of this funding by
organization is shown in Figure 2.
Source: CRS analysis of Department of Defense, FY020 RDT&E
Programs (R-1), May 18, 2019.
Relevant Statutes
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 139—Research and
Development
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter133—Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter138(b)(8)—Assistant Secretaries
of Defense–Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering)
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Defense Primer: RDT&E
CRS Products
Other Resources
CRS Report R45150, Federal Research and Development (R&D)
Under Secretary of Defense (Comptrol er), DOD Budget
Funding: FY2019, coordinated by John F. Sargent Jr.
Request
CRS Report R44711, Department of Defense Research,
Department of Defense Research, Development, Test, and
Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E): Appropriations
Evaluation Programs (R-1) Amendment, FY2019
Structure, by John F. Sargent Jr.
CRS Report R45403, The Global Research and Development
Landscape and Implications for the Department of Defense, by
John F. Sargent Jr., Marcy E. Gallo, and Moshe Schwartz.
John F. Sargent Jr., Specialist in Science and Technology
CRS Report R44010, Defense Acquisitions: How and Where
Policy
DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars, by Moshe Schwartz, John F.
Sargent Jr., and Christopher T. Mann.
IF10553
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