Operational Test Activities and Analyses
Abstract
This program element consists of two programs: Test and Evaluation (T&E) Programs and T&E Independent Activities. The Test and Evaluation programs are continuing efforts that provide management and oversight of test and evaluation functions and expertise to the Department of Defense (DoD). The T&E programs consist of five activities: Joint Test and Evaluation (JT&E); Threat Systems (TS); Center for Countermeasures (CCM); Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME); and Joint Aircraft Survivability Program (JASP). Joint Test and Evaluation projects are test and evaluation activities conducted in a joint military environment that develop process improvements. These multi-Service projects, chartered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and coordinated with the Joint Staff, appropriate combatant commanders, and the Services, provide non-materiel solutions that improve: joint interoperability of Service systems, technical and operational concepts, joint operational issues, development and validation of joint test methodologies, and test data for validating models, simulations, and test beds. The JT&E projects address relevant joint war fighting issues in a joint test and evaluation environment by developing and providing new tactics, techniques, and procedures to improve joint test capabilities and methodologies. Threat Systems, based on a memorandum of agreement between the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) and the Defense Intelligence Agency, provides DOT&E support in the areas of threat resource analysis, intelligence support and threat systems investments. Threat Systems provides threat resource analyses on the availability, capabilities and limitations of threat representations (threat simulators, targets, models, U.S. surrogates and foreign materiel) and analysis of test resources used for operational testing to support DOT&E’s assessment of the adequacy of testing for those programs designated for oversight by DOT&E and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)). Threat Systems provides DOT&E assessment officers with program specific threat intelligence support. Threat Systems also funds management, oversight, and development of common-use threat specifications for threat simulators, threat representative targets, and digital threat models used for test and evaluation. The Center, a Joint Service Countermeasure (CM) Test and Evaluation Center, serves as DoD’s independent tester for CM assessments of U.S. and foreign precision guided weapons (PGWs) and sensor systems, CMs, counter-countermeasures (CCMs), and warning devices. The Center provides assessments, including test activities, analysis of test results, and consulting expertise, that benefit the Services, joint activities, T&E Agencies, the Intelligence Community, Homeland Defense, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (quick reaction response). The Center identifies current weaknesses and limitations of systems and, through carefully developed test and assessment methodologies, provides the basis for understanding how systems might be affected by CMs in the battlefield. The Center’s staff and CM knowledge base, developed for more than 35 years, provides the DoD acquisition community and the Combatant Commanders with the information and expertise necessary for survival of U.S. forces on the modern battlefield. The Joint Logistics Commanders Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME) was chartered more than 30 years ago to serve as DoD’s focal point for munitions effectiveness information Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals (JMEMs) on all major non-nuclear U.S. weapons. JTCG/ME authenticates weapons effectiveness data for use in training, systems acquisition, weapon procurement, and combat modeling and simulation. JMEMs are used by the Armed Forces of the U.S., NATO, and other allies to plan operational missions, support training and tactics development, and support force-level analyses. JTCG/ME also develops and standardizes methodologies for evaluation of munitions effectiveness and maintains databases for target vulnerability, munitions lethality, and weapon system accuracy. Operational lessons learned (Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom), Combatant Commands, Services, Military Targeting Committee, and Operational Users Working Groups input for specific weapon-target pairings and methodologies continue to drive JMEM requirements and development processes. The Joint Aircraft Survivability Program is the DoD’s focal point for joint service enhancement of military aircraft non-nuclear survivability. The JASP is chartered by the commanders of the USN Naval Air Systems Command, USA Aviation and Missile Command and USAF Aeronautical Systems Center to coordinate and conduct RDT&E to improve military aircraft survivability, develop and standardize aircraft survivability modeling and simulation (M&S), facilitate information exchange on aircraft survivability and support aircraft survivability education for the DoD and U.S. aircraft community. Each chartering command provides a senior aircraft survivability expert for the JASP Principal Members Steering Group (PMSG), which guides the program and approves projects for funding. The JASP assesses and reports on combat damage incidents through the Joint Combat Assessment Team (JCAT), is the Executive Agent for the Joint Live Fire Aircraft Systems Program managed by the Live Fire Test office of DOT&E and is also an Executive Agent for the Survivability Vulnerability Information Analysis Center (SURVIAC), the repository for aircraft survivability information. The Test and Evaluation Independent Activities program is the only source of funding for DOT&E studies, analyses, and management to provide continuing support of policy development oversight of the DoD test and evaluation practices, infrastructure and resources; and transformation of test methods and infrastructure to ensure future defense systems provide necessary joint warfighting capabilities. Studies and analyses examine the implications and consequences of current and proposed policy, plans, operations, strategies, and budgets and are essential for the accomplishment of the DOT&E mission. This program element funds travel in support of its activities. This Program Element was reduced in FY 2012 and the outyears as part of the Secretary's Task Force on Efficiencies. This program element is budgeted in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support, to support management activities for the DOT&E oversight responsibility for test and evaluation and test and evaluation resources.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- 0605814OTE_6_0460_PB_2012
- Change Summary Explanation
- Service Agency Name
- Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense
Entities
Organizations
- Operational Test and Evaluation Force
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