Annual Report To Congress The Foreign Comparative Testing Program Fiscal Year 1996.

Abstract

The Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program responds to a growing awareness of the potential value of using nondevelopmental items to accelerate the acquisition process and cut rising development costs. Authorized by Congress in 1989, the FCT Program consolidated two earlier programs: the Foreign Weapons Evaluation (FWE) Program and NATO Comparative Test (NCT) Program (widely known as NATO "side-by-side" testing). The FCT Program tests and evaluates nondevelopmental defense equipment produced by allies and other friendly countries to determine whether these items satisfy Department of Defense (DoD) requirements or address mission area shortcomings. The objectives are to reduce Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) expenditures by- Enhancing standardization and interoperability Improving cooperative support Promoting competition; and Eliminating unnecessary duplication. The Services (Army, Navy, Air Force) and USSOCOM nominate candidate projects to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) for FCT funding consideration each year. The OSD Staff screens the proposals to ensure that (1) the proposed nondevelopmental item addresses valid requirements, (2) thorough market surveys were conducted to identify all potential contenders, and (3) the sponsoring organizations have developed viable acquisition strategies. The highest priority for funding is given to projects where there is an intent to procure if the item meets requirements and provides best value. The lowest priority is given to projects that evaluate foreign technologies where there is no intent to procure after the evaluation. After the OSD Staff evaluates and prioritizes the candidate proposals, Congress is notified of OSD's intent to provide the Services and USSOCOM FCT funds for approved new projects and any projects continuing from prior years.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA339380

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Anti-Tank Weapons
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Control Systems
  • Defense Industry
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Explosives
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control