The Operational Test Command at West Fort Hood has been at the forefront of innovation in the Army since its inception as the Mobile Army Sensor Systems, Test Evaluation and Review in 1969.

The primary characteristics that distinguish OTC’s operational testing mission focus from all other testing is the requirement for a realistic operational environment and participation by MOS-qualified Soldiers, organized into appropriate units and trained to use the systems under test.

Under the OTC motto, “Truth In Testing!” we focus on operational realism, while collecting data to validate system effectiveness, suitability and survivability has sparked a number of technological innovations at OTC. Over the years, operational testing has evolved from expensive, stand-alone, purpose-built systems, to becoming a collaborative enterprise between OTC and the training community. This allows technology developed by other agencies to be leveraged, so as to reduce cost and risk to the test and evaluation and the acquisition communities.

Besides being stewards of tax dollars, OTC’s acquisition of innovative new and improved testing systems and equipment can also take the form of changes to methodology and techniques that are more efficient in terms of cost and time. Based on the requirements of the Department of Defense, OTC has invested heavily in training on Design of Experiments. DoE allows test planners to prioritize test activities and identify high-payoff test events, which also reduce cost.

OTC also participates with DoD-level organizations and activities such as the Test Resource Management Center, to ensure that the Army has the right test and evaluation infrastructure to accomplish the test and evaluate missions. We accomplish this through our participation in the:

• Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program.

• Test and Evaluation Science and Technology Program.

• Joint Mission Environment Test Capability Program.

These program offices support the needs and solutions identification process to ensure the test and evaluation community has the right set of capabilities for the future.

OTC is preparing to support the rebuilding of the Army’s heavy, mobile forces by conducting a series of tests through 2026. The upgraded systems will be heavily networked, requiring data collection instrumentation on a number of command and control systems.

OTC has developed an innovative approach called “adapt, buy, or create” to support a more cost-effective instrumentation development model, rather than purpose-built instrumentation. In this case the test team would identify data requirements that could be collected by existing government-owned instrumentation – adapt. If there are no government-owned solutions available, OTC will seek an existing commercial product that could be purchased – buy. When the test team cannot meet its requirements through either the “adapt” or “buy” model, then the OTC would begin the more costly and complex task of developing a new test technology – create.

The Army, and OTC, will face increasingly complex test challenges over the next decade, while at the same time dealing with significant reductions in funding and staffing. To meet these challenges, we will turn our innovation efforts towards the re-use of commercial technologies and increased collaboration with partners in industry and academia.

The rapid pace of innovation in the commercial world – especially in the areas of network performance instrumentation – will provide operational testers with improved capabilities at a fraction of the cost of our current unique, and very expensive tool suites.

We anticipate many similar opportunities in the future, where innovation will be fueled by collaboration.