FORT BLISS, Texas " Team Bliss welcomed the newly formed Integrated
Test and Evaluation Directorate in an activation ceremony at the Fort
Bliss and Old Ironsides Museum June 17.
The Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed
in September 2010 that Fort Bliss should become the Army’s “centerpiece”
for network integration and develop a robust integrated Army network.
The Department of the Army authorized the activation of this new
directorate that will support network integration and other Army
priorities earlier this year.
“We are merging operational testers, developmental testers and
evaluators from multiple organizations from the Army test community,”
said Col. Dave Wellons, ITED director. “We are working closely together
in order to tackle the challenges of testing and evaluating current
program of record systems, developing systems and emerging technology
simultaneously in battlefield conditions.”
ITED is under the U.S. Army Operational Test Command, one of three major
subordinate commands of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, according
to their official website. ATEC, the Army’s independent test
organization has responsibility for all Army developmental and
operational testing by ensuring that Soldiers go to war with weapons
that work. ATEC gives recommendations to Army officials and Milestone
Decision Authority whether a system should be fielded to the warfighter,
modified, matured before fielded or terminated. OTC provides essential
information for the acquisition and fielding of warfighting systems. The
command plans, conducts and reports operational tests, assessments and
experiments of systems.
Wellons said ITED’s mission is to provide Soldiers the very best
equipment available for their deployment, mission execution and a safe
return to the United States. They will work with Army Acquisition,
Training and Doctrine Command and ATEC as well as Program Executive
Office-Integration and Brigade Modernization Command.
Wellons is the first director of the ITED and formerly the commander of
the Fires Test Directorate in Fort Sill, Okla.
Brig. Gen. Donald M. MacWillie, commander of OTC, said Wellons was
retiring, but he decided to answer the nation’s call to serve again.
“This Army, this nation needed his talents to come here and take us to
the next level,” said MacWillie. “It takes a rare combination of ability
and leadership to coach, teach and mentor and, most importantly, to
partner. [Wellons] is the right guy.”
Wellons said he was ready to accept the mission as “trusted agent for
the Soldier” and the “voice of the warfighter.” He also charged his team
to “do today what others will not, so that tomorrow we can do what
others cannot.”
The ITED is already fielding and testing systems at Fort Bliss.