Pentagon’s Director, Operational Test & Evaluation 2019 Annual Report

February 5, 2020 12:29 PM

The following is the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) 2019 annual report. It was released in late January 2020.

From the report

The most powerful element of our national defense is the warfighter. Our highly skilled, intelligent, and inventive soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines keep our Nation safe and strong.

As I stated during my November 7, 2017, confirmation hearing, I know from personal experience that there are three imperatives in combat: believe in yourself, your fellow warriors, and your training; believe in your mission and commanders; and believe in your equipment and weapons. Operational and live fire test and evaluation (OT&E and LFT&E) allow warfighters to believe in their equipment, weapons, and training; we determine whether a system is combat-credible, operationally suitable, and survivable.

For the last 2 years, as the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), I have focused on meeting the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) mandate for greater lethality and readiness. From the DOT&E perspective, this means having the right assessment tools, infrastructure, and expertise and sufficient financial and human resources.

As the NDS notes, “We cannot expect success fighting tomorrow’s conflicts with yesterday’s weapons or equipment. To address the scope and pace of our competitors’ and adversaries’ ambitions and capabilities, we must invest in modernization of key capabilities through sustained, predictable budgets.”

Cybersecurity, test and evaluation (T&E) that represent realistic operational conditions, and testing and training for space-based systems remain my greatest challenges. While the operational test community has instituted some improvements in these areas, we still have much to do.

Equally important, we are seeking ways to improve efficacy and efficiency. As part of this effort, this year DOT&E will work with the developmental test community to chart a 5-year path to integrating operational testing with developmental testing. We also will continue to pursue complementary approaches to streamline T&E, when possible, while maintaining the comprehensiveness that helps to ensure warfighters receive the robust weapons, systems, and training they need to execute their missions and return safely. I will keep Congress informed as we craft the plan for the future of T&E. No change in policy or process will affect DOT&E’s unique position as the sole independent source of authoritative OT&E data and findings.

Download the document here.

Get USNI News updates delivered to your inbox