Douglas W. York, deputy director, Maneuver Test Directorate (MTD), perhaps best known for his candid but fair assessments, was an individual who always worked for the good of the whole.  Loyalty without exception was his trademark virtue, and no matter what the personal cost, he never compromised his integrity.

Born May 25, 1956, in Trinidad, Colorado, York began his career with the United States Army as an Armored Reconnaissance Specialist in 1977.  After serving at Fort Cavazos, with rotations in Germany and Fort Irwin, California, he left the Army in 1981, having attained the rank of sergeant, to return to his studies at Kansas State University.  He graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Science, returning to government service as a temporary hire data collector for TRADOC (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command) Combined Arms Test Activity (TCATA).  York worked in numerous positions within TCATA for the next three years until he was integrated into federal service in 1987 as an Operations Research Systems Analyst (ORSA).

For the next 10 years, York completed tests on more than a dozen systems and participated in the planning of numerous programs.  His most significant effort was as the lead ORSA for the M1A2 series of tests beginning with the Early User Test and Evaluation (EUTE) in 1991 and continuing through the Initial Operational Test (IOT) in 1994.  During this period, he led a data management team that grew to more than 535 personnel conducting data collection, input and reduction of data to include manual, instrumented, video, manpower and personnel integration (MANPRINT), and reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) on more than 25 systems under test.  He unselfishly worked long and arduous hours with the test team, Data Authentication Group (DAG), and Operational Evaluation Command (OEC) to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the database.  York and his team of soldiers, DA civilians, and contractors made a significant contribution to the evaluation and fielding of the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank System.

York became the senior the Advanced Systems Test Division of the Close Combat Test Directorate (CCTD) in 1995, continuing to execute tests but concentrating primarily on the data authentication aspect of operational testing.  He continued to teach and mentor ORSAs and test officers, extending his influence throughout the Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM), OEC and TRADOC.  His influence spread throughout the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OTEC), the Department of the Army, and the Department of Defense.

In 1999, York’s expertise, professionalism and knowledge of operational testing were instrumental factors in his being selected the Senior Test Manager for the CCTD at a critical time for the Department of the Army.  York led the directorate in the execution of the largest operational test ever conducted in the history of the United States Army—the Stryker family of armored vehicles—a capstone event conducted at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in 2003.  Requiring deployments of more than a year, this IOT included a brigade equipped with eight variants of the Stryker; more than 3,000 soldiers from as far away as Alaska; more than 750 contractors; and military and civilian testers from Fort Cavazos, Texas, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Knox, Kentucky.

York valiantly fought the ravages of cancer, working until he died January 25, 2008.  Soldiers on the battlefield today are safer and better equipped because Doug York was there for them for more than 24 years, demanding and delivering only the best.