A look at the wish lists for CENTCOM, NORTHCOM, SOUTHCOM, INDOPACOM and STRATCOM

WASHINGTON – Five US combatant commands have requested $13.15 billion total in their annual Unfunded Priority Lists, according to documents obtained by Breaking Defense.

The heads of US Central Command, Northern Command, Southern Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Strategic Command are required by law to send in what amount to wish-lists to Congress after the Pentagon’s budget is formally submitted. In essence, these cover things that the COCOM bosses wanted but didn’t get into the budget. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

US INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND

The biggest ask of all the five commands comes from INDOPACOM Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo, who is requesting an additional nearly $12 billion in funding. The majority of the funds are directed toward all-domain unmanned systems ($4.4 billion) and counter command, control, computing, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting systems ($2.9 billion). 

Last year the command requested $11 billion in additional funding. The nearly $1 billion increase comes as the Defense Department continues to prioritize deterrence in the region including building its arsenal of unmanned systems, which is part of its larger Replicator initiative aimed at fielding thousands attritable drones in multiple domains to counter threats in the Indo-Pacific. 

Among other priorities INDOPACOM asked for: 

• $1.2 billion toward military construction including unspecified minor military construction.
• $989 million for “Penetrating Platforms,” specifically for the non-traditional find, fix, track, and targeting (F2T2) capability, which uses software ISR solutions to find potential targets.

US CENTRAL COMMAND

Amid growing conflict in the Middle East region, CENTCOM had the second largest request out of the five commands, asking for $732 million. The biggest chunk of this funding — $150 million — is directed toward “accelerated prototyping and operational assessment” capabilities. 

According to documentation obtained by Breaking Defense, this line item is targeted at creating acquisition authority, or a “technology development budget,” for combatant commands so they can “directly purchase test articles and assess new emerging technologies that will enhance warfighter capabilities and Service acquisition program analyses.” 

“The fact that the Iranian Threat Network and other actors, such as those involved in the Russian-Ukraine conflict, are also leveraging new technology to achieve their objectives suggests that this represents a trend that USCENTCOM must be prepared to address,” the document read.

Among other priorities are: 

• $110 million for “denial and deception capabilities” which include funding for “camouflage, concealment, and decoy capabilities for US Central Command Air Force and Army Components.”
• $106 million for 188 of Northrop Grumman’s F-16 IVEWS systems which uses an ultra wideband architecture designed to detect, identify and counter radio frequency threats. These will replace three “legacy electronic warfare systems.”

US STRATEGIC COMMAND:

US Strategic Command is seeking $322.5 million in unfunded priorities, the biggest chunk — $140 million —  of which is tapped for a classified program described as a “Convertible Nuclear System Prototype.”

Among the other priorities are:

• $82.1 million for modernization and sustainment on the E-6B. Since 1998, the Navy has flown the E-6B in support of two missions: retaining communication between the National Command Authority and ballistic missile submarines — a mission known as TACAMO, or “Take Charge And Move Out” — and the ability to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles from the air if launch systems on the ground are destroyed, a role historically known as Operation Looking Glass. The Pentagon is considering splitting up that mission set.
• $37.1 million for the Minuteman III Flight Test Automatic Flight Safety System, which will support “continued Minuteman III flight test capabilities.” While set to be replaced by the Sentinel ICBM, the Minuteman is still going to be in service for several years.
• $33.3 million for something marked “Expeditionary very low frequency,” to fund “prototype and demonstration systems.” The document indicates this is a navy program, which may mean its related to the sea service’s submarine communications systems.
• $30 million for Electromagnetic Battle Management — Joint (EMBM‐J), a joint STRATCOM and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) program first announced in late 2023. This money would help fund the program, which will enable “situational understanding of the electromagnetic operating environment,” according to the STRATCOM unfunded list.

US NORTHERN COMMAND

NORTHCOM is seeking $35 million, requested in two pots: $21.5 million for “Accelerating Southern Border Tech Solutions” and $13.5 million for “Rapid AI Prototyping and Deployment for Homeland Defense,” in its wish list delivered by Gen. Gregory Guillot. 

The southern border pot includes $10 million to “develop enterprise-level modeling, simulation and analysis of current and proposed surveillance and communications networks along the Southern Border,” which will lead to recommended investments in communications and sensors along the territory with Mexico. It also includes $9 million for “future C2 integration solutions” and $2.5 million for research on the effectiveness of operations, “enabling data-informed decisions to decrease enduring joint force requirements without compromising mission effectiveness.”

The second pot of money, focused on AI, will “enable USNORTHCOM to execute an AI testing and experimentation sprint leveraging agentic AI workflows to increase operational efficiency, enhance decision making, and accelerate warfighting capabilities in direct support of homeland defense.”

As part of that effort, “USNORTHCOM requests $6.5M to deploy a scalable AI platform across all classification networks, securely integrating with our existing intelligence, planning, and operations data so analysts can access AI tools immediately.”

Another $5 million is requested to run a series of three-week sprints to see whether AI can handle more complex operations, “such as drafting operation plans, summarizing intelligence, and integrating data across domains.”

Finally, NORTHCOM seeks $2 million to establish a test and experimentation environment to validate AI outputs.

“Embedding agentic AI in staff workflows accelerates situational awareness and tightens decision timelines. A secure exploration environment allows tools to be validated against real-world scenarios, while “AI-fast” training readies operators in weeks. This pragmatic approach de-risks larger on-premises investments and delivers measurable outcomes,” per the request.

US SOUTHERN COMMAND

SOUTHCOM requested $60 million in additional funding with its “Ship Special Mission” request of $35 million taking up the bulk of the request. This line item is geared toward bringing together partner nations to intercept the trading of illicit substances between transnational criminal organizations “hundreds of miles” offshore, according to 2024 testimony from then-SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Laura Richardson. 

Among other priorities: 

• $8 million for security cooperation for “Ecuador Joint Command Info Sharing.” 
• $5.8 million for information sharing between Trinidad and Tobago for maritime domain awareness.