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FORT BLISS – The U.S. Army Operational Test Command
activated a new test directorate Friday to support the
Army Vice Chief of Staff’s vision of developing an
integrated network able to handle everything from combat
situational awareness to finance requests.
Colonel Dave Wellons accepted the Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate guidon as its new commander from Brig. Gen. Don MacWillie, OTC commanding general, in a morning ceremony at the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museum. Sgt. Maj. James Cook will be the ITED senior enlisted advisor.
“OTC is trying to figure out how best to serve our Army,” MacWillie said. “The Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate is the culmination of four-and-a-half years of planning and transition, and it is going to become rich in tradition.
“The planning isn’t finalized,” MacWillie added. “ITED is a little bit of everything, and Dave Wellons is the right person to take the reins.”
Wellons thanked his staff for their dedication and the community for its support.
“We are proud to join the triad of OTC, the Brigade Modernization Command and the Program Executive Office-Integration,” Wellons said. “Today, we are embarking on a new challenge – integrating fielding, training and test and evaluation.”
According to Wellons, 30 of the 63 authorized positions have been filled. The staff will be a balanced mix of active-duty and Department of the Army civilian testers. OTC facilities at Fort Bliss, currently occupied by the Missile Test Division of OTC’s Fires Test Directorate, Fort Sill, Okla., will house ITED personnel and equipment.
Wellons, a former FTD commander, served as the commander of OTC’s Forward Operational Assessment Team IX, deploying to Afghanistan in 2010. A 30-year veteran, Wellons has also served in assignments in Korea, Iraq, California, and Washington. He and his wife Edna have two daughters.
Cook’s assignments include Germany, Texas, Colorado, New York, Kentucky, Washington, Kuwait and Bosnia. The 25-year Army veteran is a member of the Order of Saint Barbara and the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. He has two children.
Colonel Dave Wellons accepted the Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate guidon as its new commander from Brig. Gen. Don MacWillie, OTC commanding general, in a morning ceremony at the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museum. Sgt. Maj. James Cook will be the ITED senior enlisted advisor.
“OTC is trying to figure out how best to serve our Army,” MacWillie said. “The Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate is the culmination of four-and-a-half years of planning and transition, and it is going to become rich in tradition.
“The planning isn’t finalized,” MacWillie added. “ITED is a little bit of everything, and Dave Wellons is the right person to take the reins.”
Wellons thanked his staff for their dedication and the community for its support.
“We are proud to join the triad of OTC, the Brigade Modernization Command and the Program Executive Office-Integration,” Wellons said. “Today, we are embarking on a new challenge – integrating fielding, training and test and evaluation.”
According to Wellons, 30 of the 63 authorized positions have been filled. The staff will be a balanced mix of active-duty and Department of the Army civilian testers. OTC facilities at Fort Bliss, currently occupied by the Missile Test Division of OTC’s Fires Test Directorate, Fort Sill, Okla., will house ITED personnel and equipment.
Wellons, a former FTD commander, served as the commander of OTC’s Forward Operational Assessment Team IX, deploying to Afghanistan in 2010. A 30-year veteran, Wellons has also served in assignments in Korea, Iraq, California, and Washington. He and his wife Edna have two daughters.
Cook’s assignments include Germany, Texas, Colorado, New York, Kentucky, Washington, Kuwait and Bosnia. The 25-year Army veteran is a member of the Order of Saint Barbara and the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. He has two children.