Transcript Test and Evaluation in Support of Overseas Contingency Operations

Test and Evaluation in Support of
Overseas Contingency Operations
An Enabler to Rapid Fielding
Mr. Frank Apicella, Technical and Deputy Director
Army Evaluation Center
Army Test and Evaluation Command
Agenda
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Who We Are
Achieving Balance
ATEC’s Support to Rapid Fielding
Things We’ve Seen and Heard in Theater
Rapid T&E Lessons Learned
Summary
ATEC’s #1 Priority
Conducting test and evaluation of rapid material equipping
initiatives in support of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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Who We Are
• Full Spectrum Test and Evaluation
– Only T&E organization in DoD to encompass all phases of testing:
developmental, integrated DT/OT and operational
• T&E Scope
– Testing and Evaluating over 500 programs of records and 300 rapid
initiatives
– 1100 test events worked daily
– ATEC Forward – Forward Operational Assessment Teams in Iraq &
Afghanistan
• Large, complex organization
– 10,000+ personnel
– 26 Locations, 17 States, Operate on 1/3 Army’s Land mass, operates
Army’s only active nuclear reactor, impacted by BRAC
– Mostly reimbursable; competitive, efficient, operationally-focused
• Value-added
– Testing the majority of Army equipment: everything from rifles to
National Missile Defense
Army Test and Evaluation Command
Achieving Balance
PAST
•Strong methodical testing
•Requires Time/Money
TRADITIONAL ACQUISITION
• Full Capabilities
• All Anticipated Areas of
Operation
• Minimize Limitations
• Full Rate Production and
• Material Release
• Emphasizes reliability and
sustainability
CURRENT
•Two pronged
•Continue traditional
testing
•Added rapid testing (C&L)
FUTURE
A different degree of
“normalcy”
RAPID EQUIPPING
• Existing Capabilities
• Focused Area(s) of Operation
• Mostly “throw-away” or
contractor sustained
• Recognized/Unrecognized
Limitations
• Limited Production and
Fielding
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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ATEC’s Support to Rapid Fielding
CLR,
Safety
Confirmation
Warfighters
Warfighter
Feedback
Forward Operational
Assessment (FOA) Teams
Rapid T&E
FOA
FOA
System System
Info
DB
FOA
System
Exsum
ATEC will test and evaluate within your (rapid fielding
proponent) decision cycle.Army Test and Evaluation Command
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Things We’ve Seen and Heard in Theater
• 1st MRAP – “It’s too big. It hits wires and bridges. It’s
hard to maneuver through the city and breaks all the
time. BUT I don’t care, it makes me feel safe.”
• “Very unreliable, used on two missions, retrograde from
theater and recapitalize parts.”
• “New armor kits are saving lives every day.”
• “Complete failure in its main intended function.”
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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Things We’ve Seen and Heard in Theater
(cont.)
• System performs well against the intended threats. However,
the threats changed, needed another solution.
• Home grown armor solutions sometimes make the situation
worse.
• Robots – They work fine when operated in the open, but
could not be operated from inside vehicles.
• Tow bars – Bought some, but they broke under the weights
used in theater.
• System broke every 34 hours; quick test-fix-deploy, improved
to over 1500 hours.
• Seismic sensor had a large number of false alarms, lost trust
in the system.
• Aluminum underwear – cannot be washed.
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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Rapid T&E Lessons Learned
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User requirements may not exist
TTP and CONOPS may be undeveloped
Systems not always ready
Supportability not well thought out
Systems are not always as good as the proponents
indicated
• Significant design improvements can be made quickly
through contractor/government partnerships
• Use of Mission Based T&E and Design of Experiments
thought processes are far more important for rapid
programs
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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Summary
• ATEC Decisively Engaged in Oversees Contingency
Operations, Rapid Initiatives & Traditional Acquisition
• T&E Impacts to Rapid Fielding
– Assists the Warfighters in understanding the capabilities and
limitations of the systems
– Provides recommendations for system employment and operation
– Provides the known safety hazards and their mitigations
– Uses a test-fix-deploy-observe methodology to improve systems
capabilities
– Early culling of ineffective systems
T&E provides confidence to the Commanders at all levels that
the equipment they are receiving is effective and safe.
Army Test and Evaluation Command
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