An Overview of Army Test and Evaluation. Published by: The Army Test and Evaluation Management Agency

Transcription

1 An Overview of Army Test and Evaluation Published by: The Army Test and Evaluation Management Agency September 2007

2 Table of Contents Topic Page Introduction 1 I Test and Evaluation Mandate 1 II The Army Test and Evaluation Community 6 A. Army Test and Evaluation Executive 7 B. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Management Agency 8 C. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command 9 1. U.S. Army Developmental Test Command U.S. Army Operational Test Command U.S. Army Evaluation Center 18 D. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility 22 E. Project Manager for Instrumentation, Targets, and Threat Simulators 24 F. Army Research Laboratory s Survivability, Lethality, and Analysis Directorate 25 G. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity 27 III. Chemical and Biological T&E Community 31 A. Army 31 B. Air Force 31 C. Navy 32 D. Product Director, Test Equipment, Strategy, and Support 32 IV T&E Resource Management Structure 34 A. Army T&E Funding Army Test Ranges and Facilities (665601) Army Technical Test Instrumentation & Targets (665602) Meteorological Support to Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation Activities (665702) Support of Operational Testing (665712) 40

3 Table of Contents (continued) 5. Program-wide Activities (665801) Army Evaluation Center (665716) Army Kwajalein Atoll (665301) DOD High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (665605) Major Test and Evaluation Investment (664759) Threat Simulator Development (664256) Target Systems Development (664258) Special Equipment for User Testing (MA6700) Lethality/Survivability Analysis (665604) Materiel Systems Analysis (665706) Production Base Support and Industrial Facilities 45 B. Chemical and Biological Defense Program Funding Chemical/Biological Defense ( BP) (Advanced Technology Development) Chemical/Biological Defense ( BP) (Advanced Component Development and Prototypes) Chemical/Biological Defense ( BP) (System Development and Demonstration) Chemical/Biological Defense ( BP) (RDT&E Management Support) Chemical/Biological Defense ( BP) (Operational System Development) 47 V Summary 48 Annex Army Test and Evaluation PPBE Guidance A-1

4 Introduction This document serves as a basic reference regarding the Army test and evaluation community s general capabilities, funding, and policies. The primary audience includes members of the Army staff, the Tri-Service T&E community, Congressional staff, and personnel assigned to Army test and evaluation organizations. Formal course instruction is available through the Defense Acquisition University, and additional information is also available in Office of the Secretary of Defense directives and instructions, Army regulations and pamphlets, and individual test and evaluation organizations. Section I, The Test and Evaluation Mandate, outlines the requirement for test and evaluation. Section II, Army Test and Evaluation Community, provides a broad description of Army organizations that conduct, or are directly associated with, test and evaluation. Section III, Chemical and Biological T&E Community, describes the research and development facilities, T&E capability developers, and T&E assets unique to the Chemical and Biological T&E community. Section IV, T&E Resource Management Structure, describes the general funding construct that supports Army test and evaluation capabilities and what each T&E Program Element (PE) funds. Section V is a Summary of this document. I. The Test and Evaluation (T&E) Mandate The requirement and need for T&E as an integral part of the acquisition of materiel systems are mandated by law, directives, and regulations. Summaries of the primary mandates are discussed below. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-109, Major System Acquisitions, dated 5 April 1976, established policies to be followed by executive branch agencies in the acquisition of major systems. These policies were designed to assure the effectiveness and efficiency of the process of acquiring major systems. They were based on the general policy that Federal agencies, when acquiring major systems, would do the following: encourage innovation and competition by expressing needs and program objectives in mission terms; allow competitive exploration of alternative system design concepts; communicate with Congress early in the system acquisition process; establish clear lines of authority, responsibility, and accountability for management of programs; utilize appropriate managerial levels in decision making; designate a focal point responsible for integrating and unifying the system acquisition management process; and rely on private industry where appropriate. Specifically, paragraphs 7a & d of the Circular state that Each agency acquiring major systems should: a. Ensure that each major system fulfills a mission need. Operates effectively in its intended environment. Demonstrates a level of performance and reliability that justifies the allocation of the Nation's limited resources for its acquisition and ownership. d. Provide 1

5 strong checks and balances by ensuring adequate system test and evaluation. Conduct such tests and evaluation independent, where practicable, of developer and user." 10 United States Code (USC) Sec. 2399, Operational Test and Evaluation of Defense Acquisition Programs, dated January 2006, is the primary statute from which Department of Defense (DoD) Directives, Instructions, and Army T&E regulations flow. Section 2399 is the primary reference for the requirement to conduct and report on operational testing. It states that a major defense acquisition program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until initial operational test and evaluation of the program is completed. It further states that: Operational testing of a major defense acquisition program may not be conducted until the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation of the Department of Defense approves (in writing) the adequacy of the plans (including the projected level of funding) for operational test and evaluation. The Director shall analyze the results of the operational test and evaluation conducted [and] prepare a report stating the opinion of the Director as to whether the test and evaluation performed were adequate, and whether the results of such test and evaluation confirm that the items or components actually tested are effective and suitable for combat. A final decision to proceed with a major defense acquisition program beyond low-rate initial production may not be made until the Director has submitted to the Secretary of Defense the report with respect to that program and the congressional defense committees have received that report. 10 USC Sec. 2366, Major Systems and Munitions Programs: Survivability Testing and Lethality Testing Required Before Full-Scale Production, dated January 2006 is the primary reference for conducting live fire survivability and lethality testing. It states that a covered system, major munition, a missile program, or a product improvement to a covered system, major munitions, or missile program may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production until realistic survivability or lethality testing is completed and the report required by statute is submitted to the congressional defense committees. Department of Defense (DoD) Directive , The Defense Acquisition System, dated 12 May 2003, provides management principles and mandatory policies and procedures for managing all DoD acquisition programs. In accordance with (IAW) OMB Circular A-109, it fosters flexibility, responsiveness, innovation, disciplined, streamlined and effective management to acquire quality products that satisfy user needs with measurable improvements to mission capability and operational support, in a timely manner, and at a fair and reasonable price. It states that: Test and evaluation shall be integrated throughout the defense acquisition process and structured to provide essential information to decision-makers, assess attainment of technical performance parameters, and determine whether systems are operationally effective, suitable, survivable, and safe for intended use. The conduct of test and 2

6 evaluation, integrated with modeling and simulation, shall facilitate learning, assess technology maturity and interoperability, facilitate integration into fielded forces, and confirm performance against documented capability needs and adversary capabilities as described in the system threat assessment. DoD Instruction , Operation of the Defense Acquisition System, dated 12 May 2003, establishes a simplified and flexible management framework for translating mission needs and technology opportunities, based on approved mission needs and requirements, into stable, affordable, and well-managed acquisition programs that include weapon systems and automated information systems (AISs). Consistent with statutory requirements and DoDD , it authorizes Milestone Decision Authorities to tailor procedures to achieve cost, schedule, and performance goals. It states that: The PM, in concert with the user and test and evaluation communities, shall coordinate developmental test and evaluation (DT&E), operational test and evaluation (OT&E), live fire test and evaluation (LFT&E), family-of-systems interoperability testing, information assurance testing, and modeling and simulation (M&S) activities into an efficient continuum, closely integrated with requirements definition and systems design and development. The T&E strategy shall provide information about risk and risk mitigation, provide empirical data to validate models and simulations, evaluate technical performance and system maturity, and determine whether systems are operationally effective, suitable, and survivable against the threat detailed in the System Threat Assessment. Adequate time and resources shall be planned to support pre-test predictions and post-test reconciliation of models and test results, for all major test events. The Program Manager (PM), in concert with the user and test communities, shall provide safety releases to the developmental and operational testers prior to any test using personnel. Completed independent initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) and completed LFT&E shall support a beyond low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision for acquisition category (ACAT) I and II programs for conventional weapons systems designed for use in combat as required by 10 U.S.C. Sec and LFT&E, as that term is defined in 10 U.S.C. 2366, must be conducted on a covered system, major munition program, missile program, or product improvement to a covered system, major munition program, or missile program before it can proceed beyond LRIP. A covered system is any vehicle, weapon platform, or conventional weapon system that includes features designed to provide some degree of protection to users in combat and that is an ACAT I or II program. AR 73-1, Test and Evaluation Policy, dated 1 August 2006, implements DoD policies and procedures and specifically prescribes implementing policies and assigns responsibilities for Army test and evaluation activities during the system acquisition process. It applies to all systems acquired under the auspices of AR 70-1, dated 31 December It implements the Army's continuous evaluation program, defines the role of the independent evaluators, and includes implementing policies for the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP). 3

7 DA Pamphlet 73-1, Test and Evaluation in Support of Systems Acquisition, dated 30 May 2003, provides guidance and procedures to implement test and evaluation policy for materiel and information technology systems as promulgated by AR It outlines the basic Army test and evaluation philosophy; general test and evaluation guidance in support of materiel systems acquisition and information technology systems acquisition; test and evaluation guidance in support of system modifications and non-developmental items; the Test and Evaluation Working-level Integrated Product Team; preparation, staffing and approval of the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP); detailed guidance on preparation, staffing, and approval of critical operational issues and criteria to include key performance parameters; guidance on the planning, conduct, and reporting of system evaluation; and guidance on the planning, conduct, and reporting of testing (that is, developmental and operational) to include test support packages, test incidents, corrective actions, instrumentation, targets, and threat simulators. 50 USC, Section 1522, Conduct of chemical and biological defense program, dated January 2006, outlines the management and oversight responsibilities for the conduct of the chemical and biological defense program. It states that the Secretary of Defense shall designate the Army as executive agent for the Department of Defense to coordinate and integrate research, development, test, and evaluation, and acquisition, requirements of the military departments for chemical and biological warfare defense programs of the Department of Defense. Regarding funding of the chemical and biological defense program, it states that the budget shall reflect a coordinated and integrated chemical and biological defense program for the Department of Defense. Funding requests for the program shall be set forth in the budget of the Department of Defense for each fiscal year as a separate account, with a single program element for each of the categories of research, development, test, and evaluation, acquisition, and military construction. Funding requests for the program may not be included in the budget accounts of the military departments. Funds for military construction for the program in the military construction budget shall be set forth separately from other funds for military construction projects. Additionally, it states that All funding requirements for the chemical and biological defense program shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Army as executive agent Public Law , National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 section 232, dated December 2002, clarifies the objectives for institutional funding of test and evaluation facilities and differentiates overhead and direct costs. It.states that the Secretary of Defense shall establish the objective of ensuring that the institutional and overhead costs of a facility or resource of a military department or Defense Agency that is within the Major Range and Test Facility Base are fully funded through the major test and evaluation investment 4

8 accounts of the military department and the charge to an element of the Department of Defense for a use by that element of such a facility or resource for testing a particular program is not more than the amount equal to the direct costs of such use by that element. The act further defines the terms institutional and overhead costs as the costs of maintaining, operating, upgrading, and modernizing the facility or resource; and does not include any incremental cost of operating the facility or resource that is attributable to the use of the facility or resource for testing under a particular program. The term direct costs is defined as those costs that are directly attributable to the use of the facility or resource for testing under a particular program, over and above the institutional and overhead costs with respect to the facility or resource. 5

9 II. The Army Test and Evaluation Community There are many Army organizations that play a role in testing and evaluation activities. For example, the combat developer represents the user and develops and coordinates system operational requirements and test support packages; the materiel developer, or Program Manager (PM), assists with the design, planning, programming, coordination, and execution of a viable T&E program; the developmental and/or operational tester plans and executes the necessary test events throughout a system s life cycle; the system evaluator plans, conducts, and reports the system evaluation or assessment regarding effectiveness, suitability, and survivability; the logistician, who, in support of T&E, conducts the logistic evaluation of systems being acquired and assures that logistics are adequately addressed in the TEMP and detailed test plans; and the training developer who develops the training strategy and training test support package for testing and certifies that soldier players are ready for testing. The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) is the command that plans, executes, and reports on the majority of Army tests. In addition to ATEC, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) conducts testing at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site and the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility. While it is recognized that ATEC and SMDC conduct the majority of the developmental and operational testing for the U.S. Army, there are other organizations that also conduct testing. The Chief of Engineers (COE), for example conducts T&E on commercial and/or non-developmental items (NDI) procured for use in engineer maintenance and supply activities; the Intelligence and Security Command conducts T&E for assigned classified or secure systems; the Army Medical Command conducts testing for medical materiel systems; and the Army Special Operations Command conducts operational testing on special operations peculiar systems. Other key organizations in the Army T&E community include the Army Research Laboratory s Survivability, Lethality, and Analysis Directorate (SLAD), the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA), as well as the Program Manager for Instrumentation, Targets and Threat Simulators (PM ITTS). As designated by the Secretary of Defense, the Army is responsible for the coordination and integration of research, development, test, and evaluation, and acquisition requirements of the military departments for the Chemical and Biological Defense program (CBDP). The organizations that assist in the fulfillment of these responsibilities are included in Section III of this document. Figure 1 reflects many of the offices and commands discussed above. Those in green and purple are Army and OSD organizations, respectively, with whom TEMA interacts on a frequent basis. Those in yellow are Army organizations with whom TEMA interacts on a routine basis and receive a portion of their institutional funding through the Test Joint Capability Area (JCA) for 6

10 which TEMA is the manager and proponent. Each is addressed in subsequent paragraphs. ASSISTANT SEC DEF (NII) SECDEF UNDER SEC DEF (AT&L) Director, Operational Test & Evaluation Test Resource Management Center SECRETARY OF THE ARMY Asst to SEC DEF (NCBD) CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY T&E Exec ASA(ALT) TRADOC AMC TSG FORSCOM TEMA COE INSCOM RDE COMMAND MEDCOM ATEC USASOC SMDC USAKA/RTS HELSTF PEO STRI JPEO CBD ARL AMSAA AEC DTC OTC PM ITTS PD TESS SLAD Figure 1. Army T&E Community A. Army Test and Evaluation Executive The Test and Evaluation Executive, serves as the Army T&E Executive and the CBDP T&E Executive. He establishes, supervises, and enforces Army T&E policy and procedures, and serves as the Army member or advisor to various DoD T&E executive committees, to include the Joint T&E Senior Advisory Council, the Army Requirements Oversight Council, the Army Overarching Integrated Product Team, and the Army Systems Acquisition Review Council. He also chairs the CBDP Working-level Integrated Product Team. The T&E Executive provides Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) approval authority for test-related documents including the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) and Operational Test Event Design Plans (EDPs). He also provides oversight and issue resolution to the CBDP T&E community on T&E related issues. 7

11 B. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Management Agency (TEMA) TEMA is a staff support agency within the office of the Army Chief of Staff. Its mission is to establish policy and resources that are disciplined and flexible enough to support safer and more reliable equipment for the current and future Army and DoD Chemical and Biological Defense. They also provide T&E subject matter expertise and oversight of Army and DoD Chem/Bio programs and represent Army T&E interests at OSD and Tri-Service committees and forums. Figure 2 graphically depicts the unique relationship between TEMA, the office of the Chief of Staff and the Army T&E Executive. As part of the Army Staff, TEMA reports to the Director of the Army Staff, however, much of TEMA s daily activities are closely aligned with and support the Army T&E Executive, who reports to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army. Secretary of the Army USA DUSA CSA VCSA DAS Army T&E Executive Chem/Bio Defense Program Division Director Test & Evaluation Management Agency Deputy Director/ Policy and Programs Division Resources Division Figure 2. TEMA and Army T&E Executive TEMA has a director and three divisions. The following paragraphs describe the major responsibilities and duties of each division: The Policy and Programs Division develops and promulgates Army T&E policy and procedures (authors AR and DA Pam 73-1), provides T&E oversight for all Army programs (less those falling under CBDP oversight), provides Army T&E expertise to support defense acquisition programs, manages the HQDA approval and staffing of all Army test-related documentation, and chairs the Test and Evaluation Managers Committee (TEMAC). The Resources Division serves as the proponent for Army T&E resources at HQDA by developing and defending the Army T&E budget to the Army, OSD, and Congress, serving as the HQDA staffing and approval agent for all T&E resource programming, developing and monitoring the Army Major Range and 8

12 Test Facility Base (MRTFB) management and funding policy, and providing HQDA oversight of the funding of Army instrumentation, targets, and threat simulator programs. The Resources Division also administers the Army portion of the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program, oversees the Army validation of threat representations used in testing, and develops and coordinates the Army Test and Evaluation Strategic Plan.. The Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) Division works closely with the Joint Program Executive Office, Chemical and Biological Defense, and the CBDP T&E Executive to provide CBDP T&E oversight and expertise to support defense acquisition systems. They review the CBDP Program Objective Memorandum (POM) to ensure adequate T&E funding, approve the CBDP T&E infrastructure investment strategy, and establish standardized CBDP T&E procedures and processes. C. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) ATEC is composed of a Headquarters (HQ) and three subordinate commands/center. ATEC HQ is located at Alexandria, VA. Its subordinate organizations are the Developmental Test Command (DTC), the Operational Test Command (OTC), and Army Evaluation Center (AEC), as shown in Figure 3. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) U.S. Army Developmental Test Command (DTC) U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC) U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC) Figure 3. ATEC Command Structure ATEC plans, conducts, and integrates developmental testing, independent operational testing, independent evaluations, assessments, and experiments in order to provide essential information to decision makers. The primary ATEC products and services include: Developmental Test (DT) Initial Operational Test (IOT) Customer Test (CT) Follow-on Operational Test (FOT) Safety Testing Verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) of modeling and simulation (M&S) and of targets and threat simulators/simulations 9

13 Live-Fire vulnerability and lethality tests Joint and Multi-Service tests involving Army materiel Force development tests in support of Army combat development process Field experiments and technology demonstrations Safety Releases/Safety Confirmations System Assessment (SA)/System Evaluation Reports (SER) Capabilities and Limitations (C&L) Reports for Rapid Acquisition Initiatives The following map (Figure 4) depicts the various ATEC range locations, offices and headquarters. Alexandria Aberdeen HQ ATEC HQ DTC HQ AEC ATC AVED BMDED Ft. Greely, AK Ft. Leavenworth SED(AEC) CIEDED CCED ILS (AEC) CRTC ATEC LNO CSED FFED R&M (AEC) IED C3ED International Dugway Ft Sill NFED Ft. Leonard LNO WDTC FSTD Wood Warren, MI TECO LNO London ATEC LNO Hawaii Ft. Monmouth AEC Field Office TRTC Picatinny LNO LNO Ft Belvoir LNO Ft. Lee TECO Ft Monroe Yuma Ft. Bragg ATEC LNO YTC ABNSOTD Ft Huachuca EPG Ft. Knox IEWTD Redstone TECO Ft. Bliss White Sands ADATD Arsenal Ft. Benning WSTC AEC Field Office RTTC Ft Rucker TECO LNO ATTC Ft. Hood HQ OTC ECSTD AVTD CCTD C4TD FFTD TESA TTD AMSCA DTC Field Office Figure 4. ATEC Locations 1. U.S. Army Developmental Test Command (DTC) DTC is headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. DTC manages the developmental test capability for testing DoD materiel, weapons, and weapon systems throughout the acquisition cycle and manages the Army's live fire test mission. DTC has been at the forefront of testing to support forward deployed Soldiers and units in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and the Long War Against Terrorism (LWAT). With the largest, most diverse assemblage of testing capabilities in the DoD, DTC tests military hardware of every description across the full spectrum of cold regions, tropic, desert and other 10

14 natural or controlled environments on highly instrumented ranges and test courses. DTC offers a full range of test services, including technical feasibility of early concepts, determining system performance and safety, assessing technical risks during system development, confirming designs, and validating manufacturers facilities and processes at system, component, and system of systems (SOS) levels. Its testing services are extended to all of DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments, foreign and allied governments, and private industry. DTC s command structure is depicted in Figure 5. Developmental Test Command (DTC) White Sands Test Center (WSTC) Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC) Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC) Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Electronic Proving Ground (EPG) West Desert Test Center (WDTC) Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC) Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC) Yuma Test Center (YTC) Figure 5. DTC Command Structure DTC works closely not only with Army program managers and the Army acquisition community, but also with the T&E communities of the Air Force and the Navy. The efficiency and effectiveness of the DoD T&E infrastructure are continuously monitored and improved/updated through the tri-service T&E Executive Agent structure and process. Within that structure, DTC is the Army member of the Test Resource Advisory Group (TRAG). The TRAG works to oversee the T&E infrastructure, to identify requirements for new capabilities, and to ensure that investments are not made in unnecessary, duplicative capabilities/facilities. Much of this work is performed through the application of the principles of T&E Reliance, which is the process by which the Services rely on each other s T&E capabilities to meet T&E requirements where it is practical to do so. Reliance also enables the Services T&E communities to identify those proposed investments that may be duplicative so that unwarranted duplication of investments or capabilities does not occur. As an active member of integrated product teams (IPTs) that include testers and evaluators, as well as program managers and program executive officers, DTC supports the development of the acquisition strategy, statement of work, performance specification, and test/simulation execution strategy. 11

15 In addition to conducting rigorous performance tests on weapon systems and materiel, DTC tests equipment and systems under a variety of conditions and possible uses to characterize performance and ensure the safety of Soldiers. Test personnel report safety risks, and in some cases, recommend use restrictions that enhance safety. Validating the safety of systems and equipment is the key thrust of DTC s safety verification program, and it is a critical part of the DTC test mission. DTC developed the unique M&S initiative known as the Virtual Proving Ground (VPG). This initiative provided the foundation for the command s current distributed test capability that encompasses the varied roles of individual test centers which is a fundamental requirement for system-of-systems (SoS) testing. DTC executes its test mission at the following test ranges and centers, all of which are elements of the DoD Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB), except the Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC) and Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC). a. Aberdeen Test Center (ATC). ATC is situated at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Central Maryland and is the T&E Reliance lead test agency for automotive, Congressionally-mandated live fire vulnerability and lethality testing, direct fire, non-lethal weapons, unmanned ground vehicles, littoral warfare, soldier systems, transportability, and engineering equipment. A diverse, multipurpose proving ground, ATC encompasses 56,707 acres of engineered and dedicated land and water (40 miles of test track and 250 test ranges), including restricted airspace from the surface to unlimited altitude. ATC's comprehensive array of state-of-the-art capabilities and unique facilities, simulators, and models enable testing and experimentation from the component and subsystem level to the integrated system. ATC executes a cutting-edge information system that incorporates innovative data-acquisition technologies. Satellite/high-band communications, coupled with database technology, allow customers to access information regarding their programs in real time through the World Wide Web. This capability enables test customers to make rapid, rational and rigorous decisions throughout a system s life cycle. ATC has a key role in conducting T&E of rapid material equipping initiatives in support of the GWOT and is providing technical leadership in moving the focus of developmental testing from platform centric testing to network centric system of systems testing. b. West Desert Test Center (WDTC). WDTC is located at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) in northern Utah and serves as the T&E Reliance lead test agency and the nation s Chemical and Biological Defense Proving Ground. Effective FY97, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) test operating funds were transferred to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) IAW Public Law Funds for technology, base operations, environmental, and real property maintenance remain within the Army, as well as responsibility for test management and manpower. The Department of Defense has designated DPG as an element of the MRTFB, and the primary chemical and biological (CB) defense testing center under the Reliance Program. The primary mission of the 12

16 WDTC is testing of United States and Allied CB defense systems and performing nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) contamination survivability testing of defense materiel. With 65 years of experience, the test center uses its state-ofthe-art laboratories and chambers in concert with extensive field test grids to fully determine the performance characteristics of items being tested. Testers here determine the reliability and survivability of all types of military equipment in a chemical or biological environment This remote and isolated installation is composed of almost 900,000 acres, located in the Great Salt Lake Desert of northern Utah (approximately 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah). The terrain varies from level salt flats to scattered sand dunes and rugged mountains. The isolated location provides an acoustically and electronically quiet environment, free from population encroachment. WDTC is located next to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), and when teamed together, provide the largest overland safety footprint in the United States for the support of aircraft weapons testing, aircraft tactical testing, and training activities. DPG and UTTR maintain a "team" relationship to serve customers and utilize the many resources available. In support of Presidential decision directives, WDTC also provides unique capabilities for Domestic CB Incident Response Courses and hosts challenging full-scale field exercises, complete with detailed laboratory training programs that enable emergency response organizations to validate their tactics, techniques, and procedures for use during a chemical or biological weapons incident. WDTC is also home to DTC's Meteorological (MET) Division. This division provides world-class meteorological and atmospheric modeling support to all of DTC's test facilities, as well as for CB defense model development, validation and testing. c. White Sands Test Center (WSTC). WSTC is a unique combination of geography, laboratories, weather personnel and support activities that make it ideal for modern land based testing. WSTC, the largest (3,200 square mile) all overland test range in DoD, is a multi-service use range for testing of air-toground and ground-to-ground munitions as well as surface-to-air, air defense, and fire support systems. In recognition of this, WSTC has been designated the T&E Reliance lead test agency for surface-to-air weapons testing. The missile range is in the Tularosa Basin of south-central New Mexico with their headquarters located 20 miles east of Las Cruces, NM and 45 miles north of El Paso, TX. It is a fully instrumented (radar, telemetry, optical, global positioning system, timing, and meteorological) land range with restricted airspace that also supports space vehicle launches and landings as a backup site. The modern Cox Range Control Center and Launch Complex facilities provide an extraordinarily effective range control and missile/rocket launch capability. In recognition of this unique capability, ATEC recently established WSTC as the command s Inter-Range Control Center (IRCC) for its Distributed 13

17 Test Capability. In this capacity, WSTC will coordinate across ATEC s multiple locations to provide an integrated live, virtual and constructive test environment in support of network-centric, system-of-systems testing. White Sands operates facilities that provide a full spectrum of battlefield environments for testing such as nuclear, electromagnetic, laser, temperature, and vibration. WSTC provides the off-range target sites for medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles launched to support extended range tests. The preponderance of Future Combat Systems (FCS) developmental testing will be conducted at WSTC. Tenant capabilities collocated at WSTC include: the Navy s land-locked ship simulator ( Desert Ship ) which supports tests of shipboard fire control and shipbased missiles and the Air Force High Speed Test Track. In addition, White Sands supports various tests for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other government agencies, and private industry. d. Electronic Proving Ground (EPG). With a remote location and radio frequency interference-free environment, EPG is the principal Army test center for electronic systems, including the developmental testing of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, & Intelligence (C4I) systems, and navigation and avionics systems. Located at Fort Huachuca, AZ, EPG has access to the 76,000 acres of this southeastern Arizona fort to conduct tests, as well as selected government and private land in the area. EPG is the premier government activity for testing distributed communication systems with emphasis on systems of systems testing. EPG is the developer of the Virtual Electronic Proving Ground that allows for the conducting of tests in combined real, virtual, and constructive simulation environments. Facilities here include a full range for testing of electromagnetic compatibility and vulnerability of tactical electronic equipment, the intra-/interoperability of tactical automated C4I systems (including software and documentation), TEMPEST testing, and electronic countermeasures testing. EPG has an in-house developed suite of test instrumentation that includes test control, test stimulation, test data acquisition, and virtual jamming. EPG is also the Army s flight test facility for unmanned/micro aerial vehicles and has extensive test capabilities in the areas of global positioning system testing, propagation simulation, C4I battlefield simulations, and the use of existing battle simulations in test and training activities. e. Yuma Proving Ground (YPG). YPG is the management authority for all DT conducted in extreme natural environments and consists of three subordinate test centers: Yuma Test Center (YTC), Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC), and Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC). Desert environment testing takes place at YTC, with cold weather testing taking place at the CRTC at Fort Greely, AK. The TRTC, which operates in Hawaii and other tropic areas, as negotiated, conducts testing in a tropic environment, which many claim is the most damaging environmental extreme. YPG is significantly involved in testing new technologies to detect and defeat the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) that continue to plague American and coalition forces in Iraq. Tests are conducted at the Joint Experimentation Range 14

18 Complex (JERC), a 30,000-acre YPG test site that greatly resembles Iraq in both climate and terrain. Monthly range temperatures are within a degree or two of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. The JERC site consists of 227 buildings and many aspects of the Iraqi infrastructure, including power lines, roads and overpasses. Multi-million dollar expansion plans call for another 125 adobe buildings, a train station and a bus station. Soldiers and Marines training at the JERC site gain valuable Iraqi-city experience before deployment. Yuma Test Center, at over 1,300 square miles in size, is larger than the state of Rhode Island and has facilities that are capable of realistically, accurately, and safely testing nearly everything in the ground combat arsenal. This is the Army s large desert environment test center and long/medium range artillery testing facility. YTC is the T&E Reliance lead test agency for gun and munitions testing. In addition, many miles of test courses are used for testing prototype and operational combat vehicle systems (both wheeled and tracked). Developmental testing of Army aircraft weapon systems is accomplished, to include armament (air-to-ground) and target acquisition equipment. Production acceptance testing for Army munitions programs is conducted at YTC. YTC tests all parachute systems for personnel and air delivery of materiel and supports extensive global positioning systems testing. In addition to its systems test mission, extensive range facilities and support systems have been developed to allow joint Service combined arms testing/training. YTC offers the most modern mine, countermine, and demolitions test facility in the Western Hemisphere. Cold Regions Test Center. The Army s cold, winter, mountain and northern environmental test center is a large outdoors test area of over 670,000 acres with special use restricted airspace from the surface to unlimited altitude. The testing effort is centered at the Bolio Lake Test Complex, AK, from which CRTC accommodates a full range of cold weather or temperate climate tests depending on the season. Bolio Lake provides automotive cold start capabilities and a base for Soldier equipment tests. Ranges are also available for mine, explosives, small arms, direct fire, sensor, air defense, missile, artillery, smoke and obscurant, and mobility testing. CRTC can accommodate indirect fire testing with the capability of observed fire to 30 km and unobserved fire to 50 km. Indirect fire, up to 100 km, can also be accomplished by utilizing ranges near Fort Wainwright, AK with the impact on Ft Greely areas. Supporting infrastructure includes a state-of-the-art test track and mobility testing complex, as well as facilities for surveillance testing, ammunition storage, administrative areas, communications circuits, meteorological sites and an extensive network of roads and trails. Airfield-based and tactical air operations are supported and airdrop zones/facilities are available. Tropic Regions Test Center. TRTC provides customer services in Hawaii and other tropic areas in Central America, where it conducts tests on a wide variety of military weapon systems, materiel, and equipment. Testing in the tropics addresses such environmental aggressors such as heat, humidity, solar radiation, insects, fungus, bacteria, rainfall, and other factors that combine to rapidly reduce the performance of people, machines, and materials. Current and 15

19 planned test capabilities include: Soldier systems test sites, corrosion testing at fixed facilities, a MANPACK portability course, exposure cages, firing range access, and small caliber weapons firing. TRTC offers a diverse number of testing sites to meet the environmental testing needs of customers now and in the future. Future test operations will involve dual-use, off-the-shelf technologies with military and civilian applications such as advanced sensors with multiple application capabilities. There will be multinational cooperative efforts to gather and share information of mutual interest. f. Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC). RTTC, located at Redstone Arsenal, AL, is the Army s foremost tester of small rockets, missiles, aviation subsystems/components, and associated supporting hardware and equipment. It encompasses over 14,000 acres of the Arsenal and operates 650,000 square feet of test facilities. It is unique in its provisions for testing inert and explosive components. Extensive laboratory and range test capabilities have proven to be effective means of verifying component, subsystem, and system performance before committing to flight testing. RTTC is the only lightning effects tester of explosive items in DoD and is recognized as the Army s primary E3 test facility for aviation systems. RTTC operates the Army s largest rocket motor static test facility. The Center offers complete test capabilities for small rocket and missile systems to include flight, warhead, and motor performance. All types of natural and operationally induced dynamic, environmental, and electromagnetic testing can be performed. Sensor systems testing (radar and electro-optical) are conducted under simulated battlefield conditions including obscurants and countermeasures. RTTC performs developmental and life-cycle technical tests, as well as quality assurance and stockpile reliability testing at Redstone Arsenal, AL, and throughout the world. g. Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC). ATTC conducts airworthiness qualification and developmental flight testing of Army aircraft and associated systems. ATTC maintains a fleet of test bed aircraft representing the Army s diverse fielded aviation systems (e.g.,ah-64a/d, UH-60A/L/M, CH-47D/F, OH- 58D, C-12, and the Shadow Unmanned Aerial System). Several of these aircraft are specially equipped and instrumented to perform in-flight performance and handling qualities evaluations whereby technical engineering data can be recorded and/or transmitted to ground stations for real time or post flight analysis. Instrumentation packages can be tailored for each flight test, whereby the aircraft then becomes a flying laboratory with a flexible Open Air Range capability. ATTC is a tenant activity on both Cairns Army Airfield at Fort Rucker, AL, and Redstone Army Airfield at Redstone Arsenal, AL. With a core competency in developmental flight testing of manned and unmanned aircraft and a professional cadre of military and civilian experimental test pilots, flight test engineers and technicians, ATTC routinely conducts its mission throughout the continental US. ATTC is supported by several technical contracts, to include an aircraft maintenance contract with depot-level aircraft modification, fabrication and prototyping capabilities. 16

20 2. U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC) OTC is headquartered at Ft. Hood, TX. OTC conducts independent operational testing of military systems and conducts experiments in support of the Army's Transformation Campaign Plan (TCP) and Advanced Technology Objectives/Joint Concept Technology Demonstrations (ATO/JCTDs). OTC has the mission to conduct realistic testing in the critical areas of equipment, doctrine, force design, and training. The command conducts the operational tests required by public law (Title 10) that provide significant data to the Army decision makers on key Army systems and concepts. Whenever possible, instrumentation embedded in the system under test and models or instrumentation created by other organizations are used to create the environment required for an operational test and collect the necessary data. When necessary, OTC will initiate creation of instrumentation or simulation/stimulation systems required for operational testing, such as the Operational Test Tactical Engagement System (OT-TES) for Real-Time Casualty Assessment (RTCA), or the Simulation Testing Operations Rehearsal Model (STORM). The OTC Analytic Simulation and Instrumentation Suite (OASIS) management structure determines whether tools need to be tailored or new interfaces designed to meet the requirements of specific operational tests and ensure that necessary instrumentation interference testing and VV&A of models/simulation/stimulation systems have been completed to ensure appropriateness for operational testing. OTC becomes involved in the earliest phases of the Army s acquisition process to ensure that the product performs according to Army expectations. That product is handed off to OTC to test in the hands of the intended user the Soldier. OTC is composed of 9 test directorates and two support directorates the Methodology and Analysis Directorate (MAD), and the Transformation Technology Directorate (TTD). Five of these directorates are located at Ft. Hood, TX Future Force; Aviation; Engineer/Combat Support; Close Combat; and Command, Control, Communications and Computers. The MAD and TTD are also located at Ft. Hood. The remote test directorates are Intelligence and Electronic Warfare, Fort Huachuca, AZ; Fire Support, Fort Sill, OK; Airborne and Special Operations, Fort Bragg, NC; and Air Defense Artillery, Fort Bliss, TX. The backbone of OTC lies within the test directorates that go to the field to perform the tests or experiments. They perform the detailed planning, execution and reporting for all tests and field experiments within their assigned mission areas. Figure 6 shows OTC s command structure. 17

21 Operational Test Command (OTC) Engineer/Combat Support (ECSTD) Close Combat (CCTD) Aviation (AVTD) Command, Control, Communications, Computers (C4TD) Future Force (FFTD) Intelligence and Electronic Warfare (IEWTD) Air Defense Artillery (ADATD) Fire Support (FSTD) Airborne and Special Operations (ABNSOTD) Methodology and Analysis Directorate (MAD) Transformation Technology Directorate (TTD) Figure 6. OTC Command Structure 3. U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC) AEC is headquartered at Alexandria, VA, and is the Army's independent system evaluator. AEC conducts integrated operational and developmental evaluations, to include congressionally mandated live fire evaluations of materiel systems in support of the Army s acquisition process. AEC also oversees the logistics aspects of acquisition, modification, and deployment of systems. AEC is involved early and throughout the acquisition and total life-cycle process to ensure that T&E programs, strategies, and objectives are consistent throughout the acquisition program. Since the results of testing and evaluation figure heavily in design and milestone decisions, early T&E involvement in the acquisition process serves to add value to the final product of any acquisition program. Working in coordination with DTC and OTC, AEC assesses system performance to determine whether it is meeting developmental and operational expectations. This effort assists in discovering any potential problem early - when fixes are easier and less costly to the materiel developer. AEC also supports key Army initiatives, such as, Advanced Warfighting Experiment (AWE), ATO, JCTD, and other fast track initiatives. In addition, AEC conducts the Army Continuous Evaluation program and live fire evaluations on all covered systems. AEC evaluates and reports on each system s effectiveness, suitability, and survivability to the Army senior leadership and, when requested, to Congress. Forming a new directorate in 2002, AEC postured itself to support the Army Transformation and the ongoing demands of the Current systems. AEC has twelve evaluation directorates: Aviation; Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS); Close Combat; Combat Support; Intelligence; Command, Control & Communications; Future Force /Transformation; Counter ED, and NETFIRES (Network Fires), all of which are located at Alexandria, VA. The Survivability, Reliability & Maintainability, and Integrated Logistics Support directorates are located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. AEC also has a field office in Ft. Monmouth, NJ and Ft. Bliss, TX. AEC evaluates a proposed system s performance for the Army or, following a joint test, for other services. 18

22 AEC customers also include the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Figure 7 shows AEC s organizational structure. Army Evaluation Center (AEC) Aviation (AVED) Ballistic Missile Defense (BMDED) Intelligence (IED) Close Combat (CCED) Combat Support (CSED) Counter IED (CIEDED) Command, Control, Communications, (C3ED) Network Fires (NETFIRESED) Future Force/ Transformation (FFED) Survivability (SED) Reliability & Maintainability (R&M) Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Figure 7. AEC Organization Structure D. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) The USASMDC is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, AL. Its mission is to provide the world s best space and missile defense capabilities to warfighters and to provide for the protection of our homeland and the worldwide interests of the United States. A 1997 Memorandum of Agreement with the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) designated the command as the Army s specified proponent for space and National Missile Defense (NMD) and the Army s overarching integrator for Theater Missile Defense (TMD). To meet these added responsibilities, the command developed its USASMDC Vision The vision of the Commanding General is Normalizing space, providing layered force protection for Combatant Commanders throughout the world, developing Army Soldiers and civilians with technical skills to support the Future Force of the 21 st Century. To implement the Commanding General s vision, USASMDC is a capabilities-based organization. SMDC includes combat, materiel, and technology developers, as well as users, testers, and evaluators. To fulfill its mission, USASMDC maintains two activities of the DoD s MRTFB and two components of the Army s Test Joint Capability Area (JCA): U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS) and the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF). These test facilities are unique and have set many precedents in space and missile defense history. In 1958, an Army rocket launched America s first satellite into orbit. In 1962, a Nike-Zeus launched from Kwajalein Atoll intercepted an intercontinental ballistic missile. In 1984, the Homing Overlay Experiment hit a ballistic missile in flight, validating hit-to-kill interceptor technology. In 1996, HELSTF shot down a Katyusha rocket in flight. 19

23 In 2004, HELSTF made history by shooting down a salvo of 3 mortar rounds in a single engagement. These unique facilities will enable us to lead the Army space and missile defense into the 21 st Century. 1. U.S. Army Kwajalein ATOLL/Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS) USAKA/RTS operates a DoD MRTFB activity by providing multi-level strategic and ballistic missile defense system testing to include system interoperability testing, sensor system research and development testing, and conducting space operations to include space object identification, space surveillance, and new foreign space launch tracking in support of the U.S. Strategic Command and NASA. It s vision is to continue to be the Army's premier space operations and full-spectrum missile testing activity that, through transformation, provides increasingly relevant products and net-centric capabilities to support the combatant commanders. As figure 8 depicts, USAKA/RTS is located 2136 miles southwest of Hawaii in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) is home to the Reagan Test Site. Eleven of the 100 islands comprising the Atoll are leased by the United States from the Republic of the Marshall Islands government. Radar, optics, telemetry, and communications equipment on eight islands provide instrumentation for ballistic missile and missile interceptor testing and space operations support. Reagan Test Site 2180 miles 2142 miles 2136 miles 2220 miles Figure 8. USAKA/RTS The Reagan Test Site supports range operations with essential services normally found in a community of 2,500 people. Contractor operated logistics support services include housing, retail facilities, food, medical/dental, K

24 schools, child-care, police, fire protection, postal, recreation, TV/newspaper, and other services. USAKA/RTS is a command element within USASMDC under the Deputy to the Commanding General for Research, Development and Acquisition in the Sensors Integration and Test and Evaluation Directorate. Figure 9 depicts the hierarchical command structure of USAKA/RTS. In addition to supporting hundreds of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) developmental and operational tests and playing an important role in space surveillance and identification, USAKA/RTS has executed numerous successful Ground Based Interceptor (GBI) intercepts, including Exo-atmospheric Reentry Interceptor Subsystem (1991), Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle weapon systems (2000) and Ground-based Missile Defense GMD System Tests (2000 to 2005). Because of its unique geographical location, the USAKA/RTS radars provide, within a half-hour of launch, critical first-revolution coverage of most Chinese, Russian, Japanese, French Guianan, Indian, and other Asian-continent launches. USAKA/RTS supports the Compact of Free Association with the Republic of the Marshall Islands. USASMDC DCG for Research, Development and Acquisition Space and Missile Defense Technical Center Sensors Integration and Test & Evaluation Directorate Commander, USAKA / / RTS Deputy Garrison Commander Directorate of of Logistics Directorate of of Community Activities Directorate of of Public Works Directorate of of Plans, Training, and Security Reagan Test Site Kwajalein Support Commander Directorate (Huntsville, AL) Directorate of of Information Program Support Management Division Test Directorate of Support of Division Resource Management USAKA/RTS Command Safety Office Figure 9. USAKA/RTS Command Structure 21

25 USAKA/RTS major investment projects include range safety system and mobile range safety system upgrades, Range Operations Coordination Center modernization, 70/35mm film to digital conversion, radar modernization, and millimeter wave (MMW) radar performance enhancements. USAKA/RTS bandwidth requirements to meet operational and developmental testing continue to grow rapidly. To meet these increasing requirements, a submarine fiberoptical cable connecting Kwajalein to the Defense Information System s Pacific basin optical cable network will be installed. This fiber optical connection will also serve as the primary enabler for distributed operations between Kwajalein and CONUS, resulting in a large portion of the RTS space and missile operations being performed remotely from CONUS. With the recently completed space launch facility at Omelek Island, USAKA/RTS now provides launch support to small to medium launch systems for equatorial launch. Since the facility completion, two LEO launches from Omelek have been supported with another launch scheduled in October, High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) HELSTF is the Army s high-energy laser (HEL) Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) facility. Located on White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and managed by the USASMDC, HELSTF serves as USASMDC s primary test facility for their HEL weapons programs, and is a tri-service center for HEL RDTE. As part of the DoD s MRTFB infrastructure, HELSTF is important in the development of potential high power laser programs in part because of its strategic location at WSMR. The instrumented WSMR test range consists of 3200 square miles of controlled land area, and 7000 square miles of controlled air space. This geographic location allows it to accommodate live missile and rocket, artillery, and mortar (RAM) projectile shoot-down tests. HELSTF is an accredited predictive avoidance site with the US Strategic Command Laser Clearinghouse and is an approved above-the-horizon HEL test facility. The HELSTF array of lasers (low power to megawatt-class), beam directors, sensors, associated equipment, meteorological measurement capabilities, multiple test areas, and pointing and tracking systems provides a unique opportunity for researchers and testers to conduct laser experiments and tests. Additionally, complete data reduction is provided for all tests and data analysis is available to all users. HELSTF can conduct testing on high and intermediate power laser weapons systems, as well as perform a variety of tests with several high and intermediate power lasers. There are test areas for full scale target explosive and hazardous testing, material effects testing, and testing while under vacuum (simulated space environment). For dynamic live-fire lethality testing against missiles, RAM projectiles, remotely controlled ground targets, and airborne targets, HELSTF can employ the SeaLite Beam Director (SLBD) or the Lethality Test Bed beam control system to project the laser onto the target. Figure 10 illustrates HELSTF capabilities. 22

26 Figure 10. HELSTF Capabilities and Facilities HELSTF is supporting Army Future Force development by expanding its capabilities to support HEL lethality testing and analysis. HELSTF is working jointly with other SMDC major subordinate command elements to develop a HEL lethality testbed that will support potential Army and other Service HEL weapon systems. The HELSTF Strategy focuses on maintaining a current capability in support of current Navy and Air Force customers. The long-term strategy also includes: A Mobile HEL Diagnostic Capability (MDS) to support mobile range operations and support testing HEL weapons in a variety of relevant combat environments A brassboard solid state laser (SSL) testbed for open air testing of emerging SSL technologies developed by the HEL Joint Technology Office. A distributed test capability that will be compatible with ATEC s Inter- Range Control Center (IRCC) and SMDC s distributed exercise capability An Army Force Protection (counter-ram) testbed/range with associated BMC4I testing capability Upgrades to the Large Vacuum Chamber for better simulation of HEL effects in a space environment HELSTF s modernization strategy supports Developmental Test and Evaluation and Operational Test and Evaluation for emerging laser technologies that will lead to laser weapons employed by the Army Future Force and other Service forces. 23