TESTING, TESTED
The result is often that Soldiers and unit leadership view operational testing as a tasking burden rather than an opportunity to train and to influence the Army’s acquisition decision-making process.
One potential solution is to create a pro- gram where unit leadership, starting at the company level, can “opt into” operational testing. Essentially, that would consist of a calendar of upcoming test events on a secure portal that would list upcom- ing OTs and associated timeframes and requirements. In exchange for working training into the framework of OT, the operational unit would receive additional funding and resources to enhance their training program, as well as an opportu- nity to shape the materiel solutions of the future. Te program would also serve as a forum to negotiate trade space for when testing occurred and what personnel and equipment were required in real time. In its current form, the TSARC process can- not provide this level of flexibility in an acceptable window of time.
Te TSARC process by no means would be replaced or sidestepped using this method; rather, the opposite would occur. By engaging in these discussions and negotiations at the action officer level, the TSARC process would in fact be enhanced rather than marginalized.
Requests for resources would be bet- ter refined and more realistic, while the leadership of potential units being tasked would be better informed by their subor- dinate leaders on whether a tasking could be supported. Even if a unit ultimately could not support a tasking because of higher echelon mission requirements, at least the time to receive that decision
34
would be reduced, allowing another unit to consider the testing requirement.
Another potential benefit is the creation of greater transparency among test efforts and ongoing programs. Te forum would give leaders across the T&E community the ability to view upcoming test events and combine efforts where applicable. By potentially combining two or more test events, T&E members could increase effi- ciencies, reduce overhead requirements and increase cost-sharing while decreas- ing the financial impact to PdM shops. In the USAOTC Aviation Test Direc- torate, flight hours routinely are one of the greatest cost drivers for test events. Any opportunity to sync test schedules results in instant savings while reducing TSARC’s need to task multiple units.
CONCLUSION Tis potential program is not necessar- ily a “one size fits all” solution. ACAT I programs and other programs on the OSD T&E Oversight List (which repre- sented less than half of the OTs executed by USAOTC in FY14) are likely not appropriate candidates for this poten- tial program, given the attention they receive and the complexities of their tests. In addition, certain types of equipment may not be as well suited depending on the stringency of the requirements for the time period, personnel and the type of equipment. Again, this proposed program is more in the realm of knowledge shar- ing, encouraging crosstalk and an overall
Army AL&T Magazine April–June 2015
enhancement of the TSARC process. Just as the Air SS test team ensured all regu- latory and procedural requirements were met to conduct the SERE excursion for the Air SS CT, the same would have to be done for any future tests.
By providing a mechanism to increase collaboration with and buy-in from the operational community, the effectiveness of operational testing can be increased while reducing the cost. If the cost is sufficiently reduced, the frequency of and opportunities for operational test- ing would potentially increase. Not only does this ensure better refined materiel solutions, but more importantly, bet- ter refined requirements. With input from the combat developers, materiel developers, testers and evaluators, this process could work. Tis process would allow for the resolution of issues identi- fied over the last 13 years of working in a post-9/11 world while simultaneously moving forward in a more fiscally con- strained environment, thereby ensuring the American Soldier is equipped with the best solutions financially possible.
For more information, contact the author at
lev.l.mazeres.mil@
mail.mil. Acquisition officers interested in working in an environ- ment that seeks out critical thinkers and problem solvers should contact their branch manager about future assignment opportu- nities at USAOTC.
CPT LEV L. MAZÈRES is an operational test officer with USAOTC’s Aviation Test Directorate. He holds an MBA in business management from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt Uni- versity and a B.S. in economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is Level II certified in program management.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172
