GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) fiscal year (FY) 1994 budget request and prior years' appropriations for its research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) programs, focusing on: (1) potential reductions to the FY 1994 budget request; (2) rescissions to prior FY appropriations; and (3) congressional restrictions on DOD obligational authority for certain FY 1994 RDT&E programs.

GAO found that: (1) schedule delays, program requirement changes, and uncertainties have affected RDT&E funding requests for 1994 and prior year appropriations; (2) potential budget reductions totalled $472.6 million, prior year rescissions totalled $42.7 million, and congressional restrictions on DOD obligational authority totalled $958.3 million; (3) potential reductions in the Army's RDT&E request totalled $14.1 million, rescissions in the Army's 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $16.8 million, and restrictions on the Army's 1994 obligational authority totalled $21.9 million; (4) potential reductions in the Navy's 1994 RDT&E request total $8.4 million, and rescissions in the Navy's FY 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $18.5 million; (5) potential reductions in the Air Force's 1994 RDT&E request total $415.3 million, rescissions to the Air Force's FY 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $7.4 million, and restrictions on the Air Force's 1994 obligational authority total $142.4 million; (6) potential reductions in multiservice appropriations totalled $34.8 million; and (7) restrictions on DOD-wide 1994 RDT&E requests totalled $766.8 million.