SCO seeks $1.1 B in FY-18, exponential increase to support 'new era of power projection'

摘要

The once-secretive Strategic Capabilities Office is seeking $1.1 billion - the second largest unclassified pot of research and development funding in the Defense Department's fiscal year 2018 budget - to develop new, and the Pentagon hopes, surprising ways of using existing systems to bolster conventional deterrence against China and Russia. The request suggests nearly $500 million worth of new projects, plus funding to extend ongoing work, and continues a trend of what amounts to exponential funding growth since the office was formed five years ago. Only the Air Force's new bomber program, the B-21 Raider, is asking for more research and development funds with its $2 billion request.