2023 Science, Technology Budget a Mixed Bag.

• Author: Carberry, Sean
• Position: Budget Matters

* The fiscal year 2023 Defense Department budget proposal is a big win for research, development, test and evaluation--particularly the science and technology portion of the funding --according to senior officials. However, a closer analysis of the request and the impact of inflation indicates the proposal is less than the fiscal year 2022 enacted budget.

The 2023 budget proposal includes $130 billion for RDT&E, a 16 percent increase above the 2022 proposed defense budget. The portion for science and technology--budget activity codes 6.1 through 6.3--includes $16.5 billion, a 12 percent increase, said Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu during a National Defense Industry Association-hosted webinar April 20.

Shyu's office would receive $ 1.6 billion in science-and-technology funding, a 21 percent increase. "So, it's a huge jump," said Shyu.

Basic research for the entire Defense Department is nearly $2.4 billion, a 4 percent increase, and Shyu's office would receive $244 million, a 23 percent increase, under the proposed 2023 budget.

In terms of investment priorities, funding for Shyu's office aligns with the 14 "critical technology areas" she outlined in a Feb 1 memo. Microelectronics--particularly onshoring--5G, hypersonics, directed energy and integrated sensing and cyber top the list based on funding.

Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, chief of naval research in the Office of Naval Research stated in the webinar that one-third of the Navy's science-andtechnology priorities align with the research and engineering office's critical technology areas, and the rest are Navy-centric. Some of the Navy's science-and-technology priorities for its proposed $2.6 billion funding include unmanned systems, sonar buoys, electric laser systems and tools to collect and fuse live and virtual training data.

"We need tools that help us prioritize and focus on what the humans should focus on and let the machines do the things the machines can do," said Selby. "This is one I'm doubling down on."

The Air Force's $3.15 billion science-and-technology budget is split with 25 percent for enduring Air Force priorities--such as munitions, engines, aircraft power, nuclear systems and low observable technologies--and 75 percent for the critical technology areas. Space Force priorities include combat power projection, information mobility and space security.

For 2023, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking $896 million for...