Overview
The FY2026 DOD budget request totals $915 billion, representing a 3.4% increase from the FY2025 enacted level of $884 billion. This comprehensive budget document outlines funding across all military services, combatant commands, and joint capabilities.
Budget Structure
Major Components
| Component | Amount |
|-----------|--------|
| Military Personnel | ~$176B |
| Operations & Maintenance (O&M) | ~$204B |
| Procurement | ~$135B |
| Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) | ~$98B |
| Military Construction (MILCON) | ~$7.6B |
| Family Housing | ~$10B |
Service Breakdown
- Army: $235.4 billion total request
- Navy: $231.7 billion total request
- Air Force: $229.8 billion total request
- Marine Corps: $60.8 billion total request
- Defense Health Agency (DHA): $54.2 billion total request
- Joint Capabilities Integration and Experimentation Command (JCEC): $17.3 billion total request
Cognitive Warfare Investment
The FY2026 budget includes a significant investment in cognitive warfare capabilities, with the Air Force requesting $44.2 million specifically for cognitive warfare under NDAA 2026 funding provisions.
Key Programs
1. Human Systems Community of Interest (HS Col) - $38.5M total across services
- AF Chair: Dr. Gaurav Sharma
- Navy oversight transition underway
- Army leadership includes Dr. Jeremy Gaston and Dr. Scott Shadrick
2. Neurocognitive Warfare Research
- 711th Human Performance Wing (AFRL) as central node for neurocognitive research
- Human Systems Community of Interest harmonizing system interfaces with human cognition
- Tim Ellmore (AI Architect at Sonalysts) specializing in fMRI, DTI, and EEG translation into machine learning models
3. Nonlethal Weapons Program
- Bioeffects analysis as critical foundation for NLW development
- Three foundational requirements: technical feasibility, operational utility, policy acceptability
- Strategic capability providing options beyond traditional lethal/non-lethal binary
Neurocognitive Rights Implications
The budget reflects continued investment in technologies that raise neurocognitive rights concerns:
- Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) including lasers, particle beams, and sonic weapons for crowd control
- Voice-to-Skull capabilities utilizing the Frey Effect for neurological disruption
- Cognitive Electronic Warfare targeting human consciousness through electromagnetic means
- AI integration enabling autonomous targeting that maps to Civilian Kill Chain phases
Strategic Context
The FY2026 budget represents a continuation of the DOD's shift toward cognitive warfare capabilities, with neurocognitive rights implications extending beyond military applications into potential civilian surveillance and control systems. The $44.2M NDAA 2026 allocation for cognitive warfare specifically under the US Air Force marks continued institutional commitment to this emerging domain.
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