Spending headed up for military communications and intelligence electronics
WASHINGTON - U.S. military electronics spending is set for substantial increases next year, as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is asking Congress for $10.74 billion in fiscal 2017 for procurement and research in military communications, electronics, telecommunications, and intelligence (CET&I) technologies.
The 2017 DOD budget CET&I budget request is up 5.1 percent from the $10.09 billion that Congress allocated this year. The $10.74 billion request for CET&I equipment and research is the highest in at least three years. The DOD request for CET&I procurement and research does not include military activities with substantial electronics content, such as aircraft avionics, vetronics, and missile guidance. It also does not include DOD-wide spending for CET&I activities.
The DOD's CET&I budget request for fiscal 2017 includes $7.47 billion for procurement, up 3.6 percent from this year's congressional enacted level of $7.11 billion. The budget also requests $3.37 billion for CET&I research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), up 13.3 percent from this year's enacted level of $2.97 billion.
Highlights of the Army's CET&I 2017 procurement budget request includes $437.17 million for the War- fighter Information Network-Tactical Ground Forces Tactical Network; $43.81 million for the Defense Enterprise Wideband Satellite Communications Systems; $273.65 million for the Handheld Manpack Small Form Fit digital radio; $131.36 million for communications security; and $192.04 million for the Distributed Common Ground System-Army.
The Navy's 2017 CET&I request includes $248.77 million for fast attack submarine acoustic equipment; $274.89 million for AN/SLQ-32 shipboard electronic warfare equipment; $145.7 million for the Fixed Surveillance System deep-sea sonar system; $212.03 million for the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services tactical shipboard network; $102.48 million for shipboard tactical communications; and $170.73 million for shipboard information warfare.
The Air Force CET&I request includes $98.45 million for air traffic control and landing systems; $72.36 million for communications security equipment; $198.92 million for the Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network; and $117.94 million for tactical communications and electronics equipment.
The 2017 DOD budget request asks Congress for a total of $583 billion, reducing overall Pentagon spending by $2.2 billion over last year's request.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
