By Valerie Inge, DUSA-TE, and Joyce Junior, Army DACM
The Test and Evaluation Managers Committee (TEMAC) hosted its annual leadership workshop at the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command’s (ATEC) Redstone Test Center at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, July 12-14. The workshop brought together more than 50 Army senior acquisition T&E professionals to share ideas, learn best practices, and develop a cohesive plan across the Army acquisition enterprise. TEMAC Chair Larry Leiby led the workshop on behalf of the Army T&E Executive, David Jimenez.
Per Army Regulation 73-1 (Army Test and Evaluation Policy), TEMAC is established and convened by the chair to accomplish specific T&E objectives and serves as a centralized departmental committee supporting Army T&E and the acquisition and requirements generation communities. TEMAC also forges efficient and effective working relationships among materiel developers (MATDEV) and capability developers, testers, system evaluators and others who participate in the Army T&E process.
James Cooke, director of the Army Evaluation Center, presents Larry Leiby with a Commander’s Award for Outstanding Service at the July TEMAC workshop.(All photos by Valerie Inge, DUSA-TE, and Joyce Junior, Army DACM Office)
TEMAC members are senior T&E managers of an Army command, activity, agency or office, including all U.S. Army Program Executive Offices, the U.S. Army Forces Command, the U.S. Army Materiel Command, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. A major focus of TEMAC is ensuring that commands understand and adhere to the AR 73-1, which prescribes implementing policies and assigns responsibilities for T&E activities during the systems acquisition process. Numerous T&E policy changes were recently made to that regulation, and as a result, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT)) has some additional responsibilities:
- Test Schedule and Review Committee synchronizes integrated or bundled test candidates’ acquisition milestone decision dates and fielding plans to support planning and execution of integrated/bundled testing.
- Provide the initial and subsequent update of the acquisition program baseline threshold and objective “Test Windows;” serve as the Independent Acquisition Logistician for all systems, except for MEDCOM.
- Ensure that program executive officers and program managers (who act as MATDEVs) under supervision of the ASA(ALT) comply with their responsibilities listed in appendix B, Key Functional Area Roles and Duties for Test and Evaluation;
- ASA(ALT) and the System of Systems Engineering and Integration plan, conduct and fund all integrated tests, except for programs of record.
Army T&E Executive David Jimenez addresses TEMAC members at the recent workshop at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
At the conclusion of the event, Larry Leiby, on behalf of the ATEC Executive, thanked Lt. Gen. Michael E. Williamson, ASA(ALT) principal military deputy and the Army director for Army acquisition Career management (DACM); and Craig Spisak, director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center and the deputy DACM, for their efforts in making Defense Acquisition Workforce Development funds available to defray the TDY costs for most of the TEMAC member organizations.
Army T&E Executive David Jimenez recognizes Larry Leiby for 16 years of distinguished service as the TEMAC chair.
