Operational Testing and Evaluation of Defense: U.S. Department of Defense Operational Test and Evaluation and Fiscal Year Budget Assessment Report

Key Chapter Title List

1. Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) Mission Description and Budget Item Justification
2. OT&E Program Changes Summary and Analysis
3. OT&E Program Plans and Accomplishments Overview
4. Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E) Mission Description and Budget Item Justification
5. LFT&E Program Changes Summary and Analysis
6. LFT&E Program Plans and Accomplishments Overview: Joint Live Fire, Joint Aircraft Survivability, Joint Munitions Effectiveness Technical Coordination Group
7. Operational Test Activities and Analysis (OTAAA) Mission Description and Budget Item Justification
8. OTAAA Program Changes Summary and Analysis
9. OTAAA Program Plans and Accomplishments Overview: Joint Test and Evaluation, Test and Evaluation Threat Resource Activity, Countermeasures Center, Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Emerging Technology
10. Cross-Program Budget Adjustment Explanation: Efficiency Gains and Cost Optimization Based on Executive Order

Document Introduction

This report provides an authoritative analysis of the budget, functions, and strategic planning of the Department of Defense's Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, based on Volume V of the U.S. Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) budget documents. The report focuses on ensuring that the U.S. defense acquisition system conducts independent, realistic assessments of weapon systems' effectiveness, suitability, and survivability in an operational environment prior to deployment—a core statutory responsibility assigned to this office by Congress through legislation in 1983.

The core content of the report revolves around three main budget program elements. First, the ## Operational Test and Evaluation section details how DOT&E exercises oversight over approximately 250 Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) and other accelerated acquisition pathway programs, including approving Test and Evaluation Master Plans, overseeing field operational tests, and reporting results to the Secretary of Defense and Congress. This section particularly emphasizes its growing cybersecurity assessment function, planning to sponsor approximately 65 and 70 network assessment events for Combatant Commands and Services in FY2025 and FY2026, respectively. The focus is on the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies in cybersecurity, remediation of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities (the "Find-Fix-Verify" process), and simulating advanced cyber and electronic warfare threats.

Second, the ## Live Fire Test and Evaluation section provides an in-depth analysis of the work of the Joint Live Fire Program, the Joint Aircraft Survivability Program, and the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Technical Coordination Group. Its core mission is to ensure that manned platform vulnerabilities and survivability, as well as conventional munitions lethality, are fully understood and acknowledged before entering Full-Rate Production. The report lists specific plans for FY2025-2026, including developing full-spectrum survivability and lethality analysis tools, advancing digital engineering and modeling & simulation integration, updating the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual, developing High-Power Microwave and Cyber Operations Lethality Effectiveness assessment tools (such as COLE, JHAWKS), and supporting Joint Electronic Attack effectiveness assessments, all aimed at building a more lethal joint force.

Finally, the ## Operational Test Activities and Analysis section covers four key activities: Joint Test and Evaluation, Test and Evaluation Threat Resource Activity, Countermeasures Center, and Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Emerging Technology. These activities are dedicated to providing test policy updates, threat intelligence support, countermeasures testing, and driving Test and Evaluation enterprise modernization. The report specifically notes that the SIPET initiative leads transformation through five strategic pillars (Test as We Fight, Accelerate Delivery of Effective Weapons, Enhance Survivability in Contested Environments, Test Variable Weapon Systems, Cultivate an Agile Test Workforce) and plans innovative integration in areas such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, and software-intensive systems.

The budget change summary across all programs indicates that the FY2026 budget request has been adjusted compared to previous years, primarily due to reduced reliance on contract support for advisory assistance services and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers to improve efficiency, in accordance with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." This reflects a policy orientation of optimizing resource allocation under budget constraints. This report provides first-hand, data-supported professional analysis for understanding the operational logic of the U.S. defense test and evaluation system, future technology investment priorities, and budget priorities.