Department of Defense Review of the Foreign Comparative Testing Program FY2005-FY2006
Abstract
The Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program supports the warfighter by leveraging mature equipment and technologies from allied and coalition partner nations to satisfy U.S. defense requirements, thereby accelerating the U.S. acquisition process and lowering development costs. The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Advanced Systems and Concepts) administers the FCT Program within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics). Compared to similar U.S. development programs, the FCT Program reduces by an average of 5 years the acquisition cycle time for fielding world-class systems and equipment. Many FCT projects have also reduced total ownership costs of military systems, while enhancing standardization and interoperability, improving allied cross-service support, and promoting international cooperation. Each year the Military Services and U.S. Special Operations Command nominate candidate projects. The proposals are evaluated to ensure that: (1) the item(s) proposed for evaluation addresses valid DoD requirements; (2) a thorough market survey is conducted to identify all potential candidates; and (3) the sponsoring organization has developed a viable acquisition strategy to transition the item to the U.S. warfighter, demonstrating solid intent to procure the technology or equipment if it meets requirements and provides best value. OSD evaluates, selects, and prioritizes the candidate proposals and notifies Congress of its intent to fund the new and continuing projects in the coming year. The sponsoring organizations obtain the items for evaluation, conduct the test program, and procure those that meet their requirements. Approved projects are normally funded for one or two years. The Comparative Testing Office Handbook contains further details on the program and describes how successfully to manage an FCT project, from the initial proposal phase through procurement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA487483
Entities
People
- John J. Kubricky