Executive Technical Director
Mr. James Amato
Mr. James Amato was appointed as the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) Executive Technical Director/Deputy to the Commander position in October 2020. In this capacity, he oversees the technical execution of all ATEC test plans and reports, as well as the command’s evaluation strategy and analyses. He is also responsible for integrating the command’s instrumentation, policy, modeling and simulation, and continuous business improvement projects. He ensures that Army and Office of the Secretary of Defense senior leaders have the essential information required before weapons and equipment are placed into the hands of Soldiers and throughout the lifecycle of those systems.
Mr. Amato formerly served as the Director of the U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) as a direct report unit to the Army Materiel Command from August 2013-February 2019. He later became the Director of the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Data and Analysis Center (DAC) when AMSAA transitioned into the U.S. Army Futures Command and CCDC. He served in this role from February 2019 until October 2020.
As Director of CCDC DAC, Mr. Amato led a diverse organization of 650 Civilians and Soldiers who delivered objective analysis, experimentation, and data across the entire life cycle of weapon systems -- enhancing Readiness and enabling Modernization. These world-class engineers, data scientists, mathematicians, and operations research analysts informed critical decisions on requirements trades, technology investments, acquisition strategies and risk, test and evaluation, cyber resiliency, soldier performance, sustainment alternatives, and lifecycle cost.
Mr. Amato was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in September 2008 and served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command at Fort Hood, Texas – a position he held until July 2013. He led operational testing of Army and Joint weapons to determine effectiveness, suitability, and survivability. Mr. Amato also served as ATEC’s Executive Agent for the first five Network Integration Evaluations. In addition, he was responsible for the Forward Operational Assessment teams, who deployed into Iraq and Afghanistan to collect Soldier feedback on weapons systems and equipment.
Mr. Amato’s educational achievements include a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the U.S. Army War College in 2000; a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1992; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD in 1987.
Mr. Amato has Level III Certification in test and evaluation, and he is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He entered federal service in May 1987.
BACKGROUND
Education:
Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the U.S. Army War College
Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Loyola College
