DOD Operational Testing: Oversight Has Resulted in Few Significant Disputes and Limited Program Cost and Schedule Increases

DOD conducts extensive operational testing and evaluation of its military systems prior to full-rate production and fielding. DOT&E plays an integral role in operational test and evaluation by issuing policy and procedures, overseeing operational test planning, and independently evaluating and reporting test results. At times, DOT&E and acquisition programs may disagree about what is needed to adequately demonstrate operational capability, which sometimes may affect programs' cost or schedule.

The Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 directed GAO to review DOT&E's oversight activities. This report examines (1) the extent to which DOD acquisition programs have had significant disputes, if any, with DOT&E over operational testing, and (2) the circumstances and impact of identified disputes. GAO evaluated documentation and interviewed officials from DOT&E, other DOD test organizations, and the acquisition community. GAO also conducted 10 case studies from among 42 programs identified by military service officials as having had significant disputes with DOT&E. GAO analyzed information received from acquisition and testing officials to verify the merits and degree of those disputes. Based on this assessment, GAO selected case studies that were representative of the most significant disputes identified across the military services.

The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) provided oversight for 454 Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition programs from fiscal years 2010-2014. Military service officials identified 42 programs from that period that they believed had significant disputes with DOT&E over operational testing—that is, disputes that may have led to cost and schedule impacts for programs. Operational testing is intended to evaluate a system's capability in realistic combat conditions before full-rate production or full deployment. Acquisition programs and DOT&E have different objectives and incentives, which can potentially fuel tension between the two over what is needed to accomplish operational testing for programs. According to military service officials, the tension is generally manageable and differences usually are resolved in a reasonable and timely manner, with modest adjustments often required in the course of developing and executing a test approach. However, sometimes differences about operational testing requirements, methods, costs, or results develop into significant disputes and are more difficult to resolve. Acquisition and test officials from the military services identified only a limited number of cases—less than 10 percent of programs receiving DOT&E operational test oversight since fiscal year 2010—that they believed had experienced significant operational testing disputes with DOT&E. Officials noted that although these disputes can require additional time and effort to work through, they generally get resolved.

In an in-depth review of 10 case studies selected from among the 42 programs with significant disputes, GAO identified a variety of factors that contributed to disputes between the acquisition programs and DOT&E, but only a few cases that involved considerable cost or schedule impacts. Key factors involved the adequacy of proposed testing and differences over test requirements, assets, and the reporting of test results. In general, GAO found that DOT&E had valid and substantive concerns about operational test and evaluation for each of the 10 cases reviewed. However, military service officials indicated to GAO that testing advocated by DOT&E was, in some instances, beyond what they believed was necessary and lacked consideration for programs' test resource limitations. Many of the disputes GAO reviewed were, or are expected to be, resolved in DOT&E's favor with limited cost and schedule impacts to the programs. In a few cases, military service officials acknowledged that benefits were achieved from resolving the disputes, such as a reduction in the scope of operational testing and better understanding of system requirements. Resolution of disputes for three programs—DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and CVN 78 aircraft carrier—had considerable potential or realized cost or schedule effects and required formal involvement from senior DOD leadership. For the first two programs, hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs were associated with resolving their disputes. For CVN 78, the dispute—which remains unresolved— involves the Navy's carrier deployment schedule and whether survivability testing will be deferred by several years. For the other seven case study programs that GAO reviewed, the cost and schedule effects tied to dispute resolution were more limited, and in some instances, not related to operational testing requirements.

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report.

The Department of Defense (DOD) develops and acquires some of the  most advanced military systems in the world. The development of these  systems often involves new technologies, complex designs, and the  integration of multiple subsystems and components. DOD conducts  extensive operational testing and evaluation of the systems prior to full- rate production and fielding to ensure that warfighters have an  understanding of the capabilities and limitations of each system. As  authorized under certain sections of Title 10 of the United States Code,  the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) plays an integral  role in operational test and evaluation by issuing policy and procedures,  overseeing operational test planning, independently evaluating and  reporting on test results, and advising senior DOD decision-makers and  Congress on the operational capabilities of systems. At times, DOT&E  and acquisition programs or military service test and oversight  organizations may disagree about what is required to adequately  demonstrate operational capability. These disagreements may have cost,  schedule, or performance implications for acquisition programs. The Joint  Explanatory Statement to Accompany the National Defense Authorization  Act for Fiscal Year 2015 directed GAO to review DOT&E’s oversight  activities and any potential impact they may have on acquisition   This report examines (1) the extent to which there have been  programs.any significant disputes between DOT&E and DOD acquisition programs  over operational testing, and (2) the circumstances and impact of  identified operational test-related disputes.

To conduct this work, we reviewed documentation from and interviewed  relevant DOD acquisition and test officials. To determine the extent to  which significant disputes between DOT&E and acquisition programs may  have occurred, we reviewed DOD documentation and obtained formal  input from senior military service acquisition and test officials and  operational test agencies within the military services. Based on their  familiarity with the operational test process with DOT&E, military service  officials identified 42 programs that had significant disputes with DOT&E  between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, involving one or more of the  following: (1) delay in DOT&E approval or a disapproval of test planning  documentation, (2) disagreement over the scope, design, or assets  needed for testing, (3) increases in operational test costs that were  believed to be unwarranted, and (4) disagreement about DOT&E’s  characterization of test outcomes in its formal reporting to DOD and  congressional defense committees. To assess the circumstances and  impact of identified disputes, we completed 10 in-depth reviews (case  studies) from the 42 programs that military service officials identified as  having been associated with some of the most significant disputes within  each military service in recent years. To complete these case studies, we  reviewed program and testing information, and interviewed appropriate  officials from the acquisition and testing communities, as well as DOT&E  officials.

We conducted this performance audit from July 2014 to June 2015 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Test and evaluation activities are an integral part of developing and  producing weapon systems, as they provide knowledge of a system’s  capabilities and limitations as it matures and is eventually delivered for  use by the warfighter. DOD divides its testing activities into three  categories: developmental, operational, and live fire. Developmental  testing, which is conducted by contractors, university and government  labs, and various DOD organizations, is intended to provide feedback on  the progress of a system’s design process and its combat capability as it  advances toward initial production or deployment. Operational test and  evaluation is intended to evaluate a system’s effectiveness and suitability  under realistic combat conditions before full-rate production or  deployment occurs. DOD defines operational effectiveness as the overall  degree of mission accomplishment of a system when used by  representative personnel (e.g., warfighters) in the environment planned or  expected for operational employment of the system considering  organization, training, doctrine, tactics, survivability or operational  security, vulnerability, and threat. Operational suitability defines the  degree in which a system can be satisfactorily placed in field use, with  consideration given to its reliability, transportability, interoperability, and  safety, among other attributes. Under live fire test and evaluation, when  applicable, survivability is a measure of a system’s vulnerability to  munitions likely to be encountered in combat and lethality measures a  system’s ability to combat intended targets. Operational testing is  managed by the various military test organizations representing the  customers, such as combat units that will use the weapons. Each of the  four military services—Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy—has its  own operational test agency to plan and execute testing.

In 1983, Congress established DOT&E to coordinate, monitor, and  evaluate operational testing of major weapon systems. As part of the  Office of the Secretary of Defense, DOT&E is separate from the  acquisition and test communities within the military services and other  defense agencies. This enables DOT&E to provide the Secretary of  Defense and Congress with an independent perspective on operational or  live fire testing activities and results for DOD acquisition programs.  DOT&E serves as the principal adviser on operational test and evaluation  in DOD and bears several key responsibilities, which include: providing policy and guidance to DOD leadership on operational and  live fire test and evaluation; monitoring and reviewing all operational and live fire test and approving test and evaluation master plans (TEMPs), operational test  plans, and live fire test plans for all programs receiving oversight;  reporting to the Secretary of Defense and congressional defense  committees on programs generally before a full-rate production  decision regarding (1) the adequacy of operational and live fire test  and evaluation, and (2) operational effectiveness and suitability for  combat; and  reporting annually to the Secretary of Defense and Congress on all  operational and live fire test and evaluation results from the preceding  fiscal year.

By law, DOT&E is responsible for overseeing all major defense  acquisition programs, as well as any other acquisition programs it  determines should be designated for oversight. The number of programs  receiving operational test and evaluation oversight from DOT&E  increased considerably between 2005 and 2010, from 279 to 348  programs, but since that time has declined, averaging 315 programs per  year. Programs under DOT&E live fire test and evaluation oversight  increased in a similar way over the past decade, averaging about 121  programs per year since 2011. DOT&E may oversee operational testing  or live fire testing or both, depending on the circumstances of each  program. Figure 1 shows the number of programs receiving DOT&E  oversight annually over the last decade.

Generally, programs are added to the oversight list when they formally  enter the acquisition process, and DOT&E oversight continues through  key acquisition milestones to full-rate production approval. Figure 2  illustrates the acquisition process, test phases, and DOT&E’s involvement  in oversight.

During their planning phase, DOD acquisition programs establish a test  and evaluation working integrated product team that is made up of  acquisition and test stakeholders, including DOT&E representatives. The  main focus of this team is developing the TEMP, which provides a  framework and plan for what developmental and operational testing will  be conducted, as well as test resources needed, and how the major test  events and test phases for a program link together. The TEMP also  identifies criteria to be used to test and evaluate the system. The TEMP is  required for key program milestone reviews, such as Milestone B and  Milestone C, and as required by DOD policy, must be approved by  DOT&E and several other DOD and military service organizations.

During the later stages of system development (engineering and  manufacturing development phase) and before a program has production  units of its system available for testing, one or more operational  assessments may be conducted. These assessments usually are  completed by the designated operational test agency in accordance with  a test plan approved by DOT&E, and the results can be used to inform  the Milestone C initial production decision for a program. Following  Milestone C, programs develop an operational test plan to support the  initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) of the system. This test  plan is expected to provide a detailed scope and methodology for  conducting operational and live fire test events. By law, DOT&E approval  of the operational test plan is required for programs on the oversight list,  and the operational test agency conducts testing in accordance with the  DOT&E-approved plan. Representative users (e.g., the warfighters) and  production-representative units (e.g., systems from low-rate initial  production) are used for IOT&E to determine if a system is operationally  effective and operationally suitable for its mission. DOT&E formally  monitors the IOT&E event, and reports the results of its evaluation to the  Secretary of Defense and Congress, as required, in support of a full-rate  production decision.

Inherent Tension Exists in Operational Test Oversight, but Few Programs Experienced Significant Disputes with DOT&E

Different objectives and incentives exist between the acquisition and  testing communities, which can potentially fuel tension over what is  needed to accomplish operational testing for programs. According to  DOD officials, differences usually are resolved in a reasonable and timely  manner, with modest adjustments often required in the course of  developing and executing a test approach. However, sometimes  acquisition and test officials have differences about operational testing  requirements, methods, costs, or results that develop into significant  disputes that are more difficult to resolve. Acquisition and test officials in  the military services identified a small number of cases where significant  disputes occurred among programs receiving DOT&E oversight during  fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Of the 454 programs on DOT&E’s  oversight list during that period, officials identified 42 programs—less than  10 percent—that had significant operational test disputes with DOT&E.According to military service and DOT&E officials, while these disputes  can require additional time and effort to work through, they generally do  get resolved.

Inherent Tension in Operational Test Oversight

Acquisition and test officials from the military services stated that, in  general, DOT&E’s execution of its oversight authorities provided valuable  input and support to acquisition programs and to the entire DOD  operational test enterprise. However, at times in the past, some elements  of the DOD acquisition community, such as program offices, program  executive offices, or senior acquisition executive offices, have expressed  concerns that the test community’s approach to testing imposes undue  requirements on programs. In response to concerns like these, in 2011  the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and  Logistics (USD (AT&L)) chartered an independent assessment of the  developmental and operational test communities’ approach to testing.  The assessment found no significant evidence that the testing community  typically drives unplanned requirements, cost, or schedule into   The assessment, however, acknowledged that tension exists  programs.between programs and the test community, but noted it can be mitigated  through early and objective communication of issues, and when  necessary, through involving senior DOD leadership.

Tension exists between the acquisition and testing communities, in part,  because they have somewhat different objectives and perspectives  regarding the role of operational testing. Acquisition managers are  motivated largely by their programs’ cost, schedule, and performance  objectives, particularly once they have an approved program baseline that  formalizes those objectives for system development. DOT&E is focused  on ensuring the operational effectiveness and suitability of systems is  adequately evaluated. As program managers work to preserve their  program goals, they may see test reductions or delays as a reasonable  option for offsetting cost and schedule growth encountered during system  development. We have previously found that compromises in test  approaches and resources are more readily made in deference to other  priorities, such as preserving program cost goals. Postponing difficult  tests or limiting open communication about test results can help a  program avoid unwanted scrutiny because tests against criteria can  reveal shortfalls, which may call into question whether a program should  proceed as planned.

DOT&E’s approval authority for core test documents—particularly TEMPs  and operational test plans—also contributes to the tension. Approval can  be withheld until these documents demonstrate adequate means to  evaluate operational effectiveness and suitability. TEMPs must also show  that sufficient resources have been dedicated to the operational test  program. Costs for operational tests are predominantly borne by the  programs, which creates another source of tension. Although operational  testing typically represents a relatively small amount of the total program  cost to develop and produce a system, this cost can be significant in the  years during which operational testing events occur. In 2011, DOT&E  assessed 78 recent acquisition programs and found the average marginal  cost of operational test and evaluation to be about 1 percent of total  program acquisition costs. and contract flexibility to accommodate discovery and respond to  changes in testing needs during program execution. Aside from the cost,  the fact that operational testing occurs largely in the later stages of a  program—when overall research, development, test, and evaluation  funds generally are more limited—may also create significant challenges  if test changes are needed. This may be particularly true when production  has already begun. In those cases, additional costs can stem both from  increased testing and from production delays, as well as any potential  retrofitting required for the systems already produced.

Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, FY 2011 Annual Report (Dec. 2011). but voiced concern over how long it sometimes takes to receive final  DOT&E approval. Officials indicated that approval can be challenging, in  part, because good relationships and communications between DOT&E  and program and test officials from the military services sometimes are  lacking during the test plan development process. For example, some  officials voiced frustration about mixed messages sometimes received  from DOT&E’s working-level officials—action officers—and senior  officials, where action officers may have agreed to test plans at a working  level, but senior DOT&E officials rejected the plans.

Program and test officials noted that tension can be amplified when a  program has spent substantial time working on test plans, and is  approaching a major acquisition milestone or scheduled operational test  event, but has not yet received DOT&E approval. In a limited number of  instances, DOT&E has formally disapproved program TEMPs and  operational test plans. Specifically, DOT&E annual reports for fiscal years  2010 through 2014 show that 245 TEMPs and 375 operational test plans   Several  were approved, and only 14 test documents were disapproved.TEMPs or operational test plans that were disapproved were later  resubmitted with changes and approved. Some cases of test plan  disapproval were the result of systems not being ready for operational  testing. DOT&E officials noted, however, that disapproval of test plans  does not directly indicate a program had a significant dispute with  DOT&E. For example, one TEMP was disapproved because the program  mistakenly submitted a prior version of the plan for approval that did not  have updates that had been agreed to by the program and DOT&E.

Few Significant Operational Test Disputes Were Identified

In the absence of any definitive indicators being found during our review  that could be used to identify cases of significant operational testing  disputes, we asked acquisition and test officials from the military services  to identify programs that had significant disputes with DOT&E from  among the 454 programs on DOT&E’s oversight list in fiscal years 2010  through 2014. In response, officials identified 42 programs—less than 10  percent of the total—that they believed had significant disputes with  DOT&E. Significance, while subjective, was judged by the officials based  on their familiarity with what is typical for the operational test process with  DOT&E and what programs encountered problems that they believed  went beyond that norm. Officials identified programs that they believed  had significant disputes with DOT&E related to operational or live fire  testing oversight involving one or more of the following: (1) substantial  delay in DOT&E approval, or a disapproval, of test planning  documentation; (2) significant disagreement over test asset needs or test  scope; (3) considerable increases in operational test costs that were  believed to be unwarranted; and (4) disagreements about DOT&E’s  characterization of test outcomes in its formal reporting to the Secretary  of Defense and congressional defense committees. For many of the  disputes identified by military service acquisition and test officials,  opinions varied as to whether they were significant or simply indicative of  the usual back-and-forth that occurs when planning for and executing  operational testing. Military service and DOT&E officials, however, noted  that although disputes can require additional time and effort to work  through, they generally do get resolved.

A Variety of Factors Contributed to Disputes We Reviewed, but Only a Few Cases Had Significant Cost or Schedule Impacts

To gain a better understanding of the circumstances of disputes and  assess the merits of disputes for cases where opinions varied, we  selected and performed an in-depth review of 10 cases from among the  42 programs that had disputes. We believe these cases were among the  most significant within each of the military services. The 10 cases had a  variety of factors that contributed to disputes between DOT&E and  military service officials over operational testing, but only a few had  considerable cost or schedule impacts. The factors typically involved the  adequacy of proposed testing and differences over test requirements,  assets, and the reporting of test results. In general, we found that DOT&E  had valid and substantive operational test-related concerns for each  program reviewed. On the other hand, military service officials we  interviewed contended that in some instances testing advocated by  DOT&E was in excess of what was needed to determine the operational  effectiveness or suitability of systems or unrealistic given the test  resource limitations for programs.

Most of the disputes we reviewed had been, or are expected to be,  resolved in favor of DOT&E’s concerns, and with limited cost and  schedule impacts to the programs. In a few of these cases, military  service officials acknowledged that benefits were achieved from resolving  the disputes, such as a reduction in the scope of operational testing and  better understanding of system requirements. However, resolution of  disputes for three programs—DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer, F-35 Joint  Strike Fighter, and CVN 78 aircraft carrier—had considerable potential  cost or schedule effects that required formal involvement from senior  DOD leadership. For the first two programs, hundreds of millions of  dollars in additional costs are associated with resolving their disputes. For  CVN 78, the dispute, which remains unresolved, has ramifications for the  Navy’s carrier deployment schedule and whether a key test to assess the  survivability of the carrier will be deferred by several years.

Several Factors Contributed to Operational Testing Disputes for Case Study Programs

We identified five primary factors that contributed to operational test  disputes with DOT&E among our 10 cases. These factors collectively  revolved around the adequacy of the scope, design, and execution of  operational testing for programs and what is needed to ensure a system  is tested in a manner that represents its intended operational  environment. The five factors include (1) poorly-defined system  requirements, (2) the need to address operational threats and  environments, (3) insufficient test assets, (4) live fire test issues, and (5)  disagreements over the reporting of test results.

System performance requirements—approved by the military services  and DOD’s Joint Requirements Oversight Council—played a role in  the disputes for five programs we reviewed. The associated issues we  found involved the ability to adequately test and evaluate  requirements, requirements that were not believed to reflect how a  system would be used in combat, and requirements not being  operationally tested as planned. For example, DOT&E determined for  several of the programs we reviewed that program performance  requirements were not directly linked to measures of mission success,  and therefore not adequate as a basis for testing the system’s  effectiveness and suitability.

Testing against relevant operational threats or in relevant operational  environments was a basis of disputes for three of our case studies.  They included issues with ensuring current operational threats were  accounted for in testing and with making certain that specified test  locations reflect the intended operational environment for a system.  As an example, in the case of an Army self-propelled howitzer  program, DOT&E identified that the operational environment proposed  by the Army was inconsistent with the way the system would likely be  employed in the field, which led to a disagreement related to the  survivability of the system.

Test asset differences were tied to disputes for three of our case  studies. Issues related to this factor stemmed from programs and  DOT&E having different perspectives on the type of test assets  needed to demonstrate operational effectiveness and suitability, or the  need for test assets not planned for by programs. The most  substantial example of this in our cases involved a disagreement  between DOT&E and the Navy over whether an unmanned self- defense test ship was needed to demonstrate operational  effectiveness and suitability for a Navy destroyer and its major  subsystems.

Live fire testing issues, which factored into disputes for three cases,  dealt with disagreements over the timing or extensiveness of testing,  including the use of existing data to support evaluations of operational  survivability. The most significant case tied to this factor involves a  disagreement over when and on what carrier a full ship shock trial—a  live fire test of the survivability of the new aircraft carrier and its  subsystems—will be completed.

Disagreement with DOT&E’s characterization of test results in its  operational test reports contributed to the disputes with two programs.  In particular, both programs’ officials took exception to the manner in  which DOT&E discussed test results, noting that they believed  DOT&E obscured the fact that the systems were demonstrated  through testing to meet their requirements. DOT&E officials  emphasized that the system performance against requirements was  clearly stated in reports, but that they also are responsible for  characterizing any limitations to testing performed or limitations to  system capability identified.

Table 1 provides our assessment of which factors contributed to the  disputes for each of the 10 case studies we completed.

Most Disputes Were Resolved without Significant Cost or Schedule Impacts

In reviewing 10 case studies, we found that DOT&E raised legitimate  concerns about the ability to adequately operationally test the systems  and evaluate their effectiveness and suitability. However, we also  recognize the real concerns voiced by military officials about the  difficulties in reaching agreement with DOT&E for these cases and the  potential or realized cost and schedule consequences for programs.  Although the true cost of overcoming a significant disagreement is not  easily measured, in general, we found that many of the disputes between  programs and DOT&E outlined in our case studies appear to have been,  or are expected to be, resolved with relatively limited effects on program  cost or schedule. There were, however, three case studies that had  disputes with substantial cost or schedule implications that did, or may,  require decisions from top DOD leadership—the Deputy Secretary of  Defense or the Secretary of Defense—to resolve. DOT&E officials stated  they believe these are the only cases among the 454 programs on  DOT&E oversight since fiscal year 2010 that required this type of senior- level involvement in order to resolve a dispute. Resolving these disputes  carried substantial impacts, although not always borne by the program  offices themselves. For two of the programs—the DDG-51 Flight III  Destroyer and Joint Strike Fighter—hundreds of millions of dollars in  additional costs were associated with their dispute resolutions. For the  third program—CVN 78—the dispute, which has yet to be resolved, has  ramifications for the Navy’s carrier deployment schedule and whether  survivability testing, which is intended to identify potential vulnerabilities to  the carrier and reduce risk to sailors, will be deferred by several years.  The following profiles provide details on the disputes, resolution, and  associated impacts for these three case studies.

CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford Class Aircraft Carrier  The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) has been engaged with the Navy in a dispute over whether to conduct the  full ship shock trial (FSST) on CVN 78—the first of the new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers—as previously agreed to in  the program’s alternative Live Fire Test and Evaluation Management Plan signed by the Navy and DOT&E in 2007, or to defer it to  the follow-on ship (CVN 79) as the Navy decided in 2011 due to technical, schedule, and budgetary concerns. FSST is a test that  employs an underwater charge at a certain distance from the carrier to identify survivability issues for the ship and its key systems.

Early discovery of issues may then be used to implement fixes while follow-on carriers are still being built to assure their  survivability and reduce risk to sailors. The Navy believes lessons learned from FSSTs on other ships, when combined with shock  testing being performed on individual ship components and equipment, reduce the need to complete FSST on CVN 78. DOT&E  provided memoranda to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD (AT&L)) and the Navy that  documented the findings from previous FSST events for other ships and concluded that those results made component-level testing  and past FSST results insufficient to assess survivability of the new carrier class.

Impact: Completing FSST on CVN 78 could delay deployment of the carrier 1-6 months based on current estimates. The Navy has  stated that any deployment delay would further delay returning its fleet size to the congressionally-mandated 11 carriers. DOT&E  has emphasized that, regardless of any change to FSST, a carrier fleet size shortfall will exist for at least 5 years—the shortfall has  existed since the CVN 65 carrier was decommissioned in 2012—and the 5- to 7-year delay associated with deferring the test to  CVN 79 would reduce the potential to discover survivability problems early and fix them. In addition, as we recently found in a  review of the carrier program, CVN 78 has faced construction challenges and issues with key technologies that increase the  likelihood the carrier will not deploy as scheduled or will deploy without fully tested systems.

Resolution status: DOT&E and the Navy have been unable to resolve this dispute. In May 2015, the Navy revised its position on  the FSST, presenting a plan to USD (AT&L) to conduct the test on CVN 78, but not until sometime after the ship’s first deployment.

The Navy stated this would preserve the ability to deploy CVN 78 and meet the 11-carrier fleet requirement at the earliest  opportunity. DOT&E disagreed with the Navy’s new plan to complete FSST after deployment and reiterated that completing testing  before deployment is the only way many shock-related survivability issues can be found and addressed before the ship and crew  deploy into an active theater of operations. DOD leadership is expected to resolve this dispute later in 2015.

DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer / AN/SPY-6 Radar / Aegis Modernization  The Navy and the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) have an ongoing dispute over the need to use an unmanned  self-defense test ship (SDTS) to accomplish operational testing of the next Aegis combat system and AN/SPY-6 radar on the DDG  51 Flight III Destroyer—a multi-mission ship designed to defend against air, surface, and subsurface threats. DOT&E expects these  systems to be tested together to ensure operationally realistic testing and an end-to-end assessment of the ship’s capability; an  approach which has been used for other Navy surface ship programs. DOT&E disapproved test and evaluation master plans for the  Aegis and AN/SPY-6 programs because the Navy did not include the use of the SDTS. DOT&E’s analysis concluded that a SDTS,  equipped with the Aegis and AN/SPY-6 systems, is needed for close-in live fire testing against most classes of anti-ship cruise  missile threats, including supersonic, maneuvering threats—a manned ship cannot be used because of safety concerns. DOT&E  also emphasized that past testing using an unmanned SDTS led to the discovery of combat system deficiencies that could not have  been found by using constrained testing approaches against manned ships. Navy officials believe their test approach, which relies  on collecting data from multiple sources—live fire end-to-end testing of selected targets on a tactical manned ship, limited missile  intercept testing using the existing SDTS, and land-based test sites—achieves a better balance between cost and risk. DOT&E  officials emphasized that the Navy’s test approach will not provide the data needed to validate modeling and simulation and is  insufficient to demonstrate ship self-defense capabilities and survivability against operationally realistic threats. In particular,  DOT&E stated the proposed live fire testing on the tactical manned ship and land-based testing are constrained considerably  because of safety restrictions, and the Navy’s proposed missile intercept testing using the existing SDTS does not provide the  needed data because it uses different combat and launching systems than those intended for the DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer.

Impact: Preliminary estimates suggest the additional cost of using SDTS for operational testing would be $320-$470 million, with  DOT&E officials noting the actual cost is likely to be somewhere in the middle of that range. The Navy has not determined the  difference in total test cost if SDTS is used versus some alternative approach, but has estimated the cost of the modeling and  simulation suite to support testing at $86.7 million over the next 5 years. DOT&E estimates that about $230 million of the test cost  with SDTS could potentially be recovered by the Navy if the systems installed on the SDTS are removed after testing and  integrated on a future DDG-51 Flight III ship.

Resolution status: DOT&E and the Navy have not resolved this dispute. The Office of Cost Analysis and Performance Evaluation  within the Office of the Secretary of Defense is expected to complete an analysis in June 2015 on the cost to upgrade an existing  SDTS, which is intended to inform a decision by the Deputy Secretary of Defense on whether a SDTS will be used for initial  F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement Program  In early 2012, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) identified shortfalls in DOD’s electronic warfare test  capabilities that posed problems for operationally testing the Joint Strike Fighter, the next generation fighter aircraft. Specifically, a  threat assessment report outlined current threats that raised questions regarding the performance of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft  and other systems when employed against those threats. DOT&E indicated that additional investment was needed to upgrade  outdoor test range assets, anechoic chambers (a room designed to completely absorb reflections of electromagnetic waves), and  electronic warfare programming labs in order to test against updated threats as required. Joint Strike Fighter officials agreed that  the aircraft should be tested against current threats, but emphasized that the program should not have to fund these test  infrastructure improvements. To assess the issue further, the Office of the Secretary of Defense commissioned a study of electronic  Impact: The Office of the Secretary of Defense study validated DOT&E’s concerns, concluding that test infrastructure  improvements were needed to support testing of the Joint Strike Fighter and a number of other systems being developed.

Resolution status: In response to the study, the Secretary of Defense signed a Resource Management Decision in September  2012 that established the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement Program to acquire and upgrade electronic warfare test  capabilities that are intended to support operational testing for the Joint Strike Fighter and other systems. The decision provided  about $491 million outside of the Joint Strike Fighter program funding for the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement  Program. Plans for the program include procuring 22 emitters to support the full range of testing needs. Joint Strike Fighter program  officials said they expect to begin testing with whatever assets are available to meet the test schedule.

For the other seven case studies included in our review, cost and  schedule effects in resolving their disputes were more limited, and in  some cases, were not related to operational testing requirements. These  disputes also had been, or are expected to be, resolved among DOT&E,  the programs, and the operational test agencies. Though not readily  quantifiable, for some cases like the Automated Biometrics Identification  System and Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar, we  also found indications of benefits coming from resolving their disputes.  Several of the programs cited additional costs as a result of DOT&E  actions or requirements. Typically, these costs were associated with  DOT&E officials requesting changes to test approaches proposed by the  military services because they found them insufficient to demonstrate the  system’s operational effectiveness and suitability. In other cases, program  officials stated they experienced cost increases, but they were associated  with other factors, such as system development challenges. In the case of  the Paladin Integrated Management program, DOT&E’s identification of  discrepancies with system requirements and operational capability  expectations resulted in adjustments to the test approach the Army had  sought, which modestly affected test cost. Regarding effects on schedule,  officials from three programs—Enhanced Combat Helmet, Ground/Air  Task Oriented Radar, and Joint Assault Bridge—stated that potential or  realized delays were attributable, in part, to test-related issues. For  example, in the Enhanced Combat Helmet program, delays were  attributed to test and non-test factors, including changes to the Marine  Corps’ proposed test approach to conform to recently-established  standardized testing protocols and helmet design modifications resulting  from manufacturing changes that had degraded helmet performance. The  following profiles provide details on the disputes, resolution, and  associated impacts for these seven cases.

DOD Automated Biometrics Identification System  To address obsolescence issues with the Automated Biometrics Identification System 1.0—a biometric (e.g., fingerprints) data  repository and match capability used to identify potential threats to U.S. military forces and facilities—the Army developed  Automated Biometrics Identification System 1.2. However, after several failed attempts to deploy the upgraded system, two military  commands requested that the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) oversee operational test and evaluation for the  system. The system’s origins were as a quick reaction capability—not an acquisition program—which posed challenges because no  formal operational testing had been planned. In working to establish a plan, the Army’s operational test agency and DOT&E had  disagreements about system requirements and initial operational test and evaluation plans. Army and DOT&E officials  acknowledged the unique circumstances of the system and pressure to quickly deliver the updated system created substantial  Impact: Due to the lack of upfront operational test planning, no operational test funding was budgeted, so the Army had to  reprogram a limited amount of funds to support the testing. DOT&E worked with Army program and test officials to develop a test  approach that enabled testing and deployment of the system to meet the program’s needs. Program officials noted that DOT&E was  a positive forcing factor in getting the system tested and deployed to meet their schedule needs.

Resolution status: Initial operational testing was completed in 2014 and the Automated Biometrics Identification System 1.2  system has been deployed to users in replacement of the legacy version.

The Enhanced Combat Helmet program, which responds to an urgent need requirement, had several challenges related to first  article test—a process used to determine if the helmet met its contract specifications prior to acceptance. Shortly before the initial  first article test, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) released a standard test policy for combat helmets that had  been developed in coordination with the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command. This new policy, which was in  response to past criticism that DOD had received about the testing of personal protective equipment, was a source of frustration for  the Marine Corps because it forced changes to test procedures it had intended to use for the Enhanced Combat Helmet. DOT&E  noted this policy established minimum standards for testing, ensuring helmets meet a common standard across DOD using an  approach employed by commercial manufacturers to balance consumer and producer risk. The helmet failed this first article test, in  part because of issues with the test methods used. Using revised test methods, in late 2011 a second first article test demonstrated  the helmet met requirements. However, a subsequent manufacturing change degraded helmet performance, leading to the helmet  failing small arms testing conducted in June 2012. Once helmet design modifications were made to address shortfalls, a third first  article test was completed in April 2013, which the helmet passed. DOT&E’s reporting of helmet performance in testing and its  potential effect on the health of a wearer was another source of concern for the Marine Corps. Specifically, using input from the  Armed Forces Medical Examiner, DOT&E reported that inward deformation of the helmet shell during testing presented a serious  risk of injury or death, whereas the Marine Corps stated the implications on health are unknown. The production approach also  posed a challenge. The Enhanced Combat Helmet program had intended to expedite production and fielding by having lots  comprised of every helmet size. However, the Marine Corps and DOT&E could not identify a viable approach to lot acceptance  testing—a quality control test where a sample of helmets is tested from each lot manufactured—that would support lots with mixed  helmet sizes.

Impact: Meeting the newly standardized test policy requirements necessitated more funding and time than planned for by the  program. Program officials stated they experienced about 12 months in delays and about $2 million in cost increases during  operational testing. Officials stated that meeting DOT&E test protocol requirements contributed to the cost and schedule growth, but  helmet performance problems and material changes, contract renegotiations, and test requirements independent from DOT&E  oversight were also factors. DOT&E stated that additional risk reduction tests pursued by the program after the initial first article test  and delays associated with the helmet developer resolving the manufacturing issues led to the majority of the program delays.  DOT&E also indicated that issues with the test procedures were due to the unanticipated behavior of the helmet when shot during  testing and emphasized that these issues would also have occurred with the Marine Corps’ originally-proposed test procedures.  Regarding the health considerations related to Enhanced Combat Helmet test results, DOT&E and the Marine Corps operational  test agency recommended additional testing in concert with the medical community to characterize the potential for injury from  helmet deformations. For production, the industry best practice of single-size helmet lots has been used, which slowed fielding  plans because marine or soldier units are not equipped with the helmets until all needed sizes are available but also reduced the  risk of deficient helmets being fielded.

Resolution status: The Marine Corps found the Enhanced Combat Helmet preferable to the existing lightweight helmet and  proceeded to full-rate production and fielding.

At the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics’ (USD (AT&L’s)) direction, in 2013 the Marine Corps  revised the reliability growth program for the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar—a portable short- to medium-range air defense and  air surveillance radar—to address issues discovered during developmental testing. Despite the revisions, the Director, Operational  Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) did not approve the test and evaluation master plan (TEMP) ahead of the low-rate initial production  decision review, stating that additional changes were needed to make the program’s reliability growth program consistent with  system requirements, realistic, and achievable by initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). The program received low-rate  production approval in March 2014, with reliability concerns unresolved and without DOT&E TEMP approval. Shortly thereafter, the  Navy commissioned a panel that reviewed the reliability concerns and provided recommendations related to the Ground/Air Task  Oriented Radar’s reliability requirement and growth plan. In particular, the panel found that selected reliability requirements were  disconnected from the program’s mission, operational relevance could not be determined, and the reliability growth analyses and  predictions were technically deficient. These issues were similar to those identified by DOT&E prior to the low-rate production  decision. A material change in semi-conductor technology for the radar system—moving from gallium arsenide to gallium nitride— also created issues between the program and DOT&E. The program planned to complete IOT&E with gallium arsenide radars.

However, the preponderance of radars—80 percent—is expected to include the material change. Based on this production  approach and because the material change modified the physical characteristics of the radar’s aperture and requires software  modifications, DOT&E determined that gallium nitride units need to be used to meet its legal requirement to complete IOT&E using  production-representative systems. Program officials disagreed with DOT&E’s assessment that the material change was significant  enough to warrant an IOT&E change, but the test plan was updated to include gallium nitride units in IOT&E. The scope of IOT&E is  also being deliberated by the program office, operational test agency, and DOT&E to determine whether the system will be  operationally tested in a littoral environment—a primary operating environment for the radar.

Impact: The program office reevaluated system reliability and plans to implement some of the panel recommendations and  incorporate them into the TEMP. The radar material change and other programmatic decisions contributed to a delay for IOT&E and  full-rate production of about 2 years, and production efficiencies, such as lower unit costs, will not be achieved as planned. Gallium  arsenide units are expected to undergo an early fielding test in fiscal year 2017 and IOT&E with gallium nitride units is planned for  the following year. Program officials estimated that including a littoral environment in IOT&E could cost about $20 million. DOT&E  noted that test requirements have not yet been established and believes this estimate includes testing components that expand the  Resolution status: Program officials are evaluating the reliability requirement for operational relevance and recommendations to  improve the reliability growth program. Marine Corps test officials stated that TEMP approval will not be sought until issues related  to the reliability program and IOT&E scope are resolved. DOT&E noted the delay in TEMP approval has not affected the program’s  The Joint Assault Bridge program—which provides an assault bridge-laying capability for armored combat teams—began receiving  Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) oversight for live fire test prior to 2011 when it was a Marine Corps program and  was placed on operational test oversight in January 2014 when the program had been taken over by the Army. The Army’s initial  live fire test program sought to gain efficiencies by using data from previous live fire testing of the Abrams tank chassis—a core  component of the Joint Assault Bridge system. However, DOT&E stated that changes in number of crew, center of gravity, and  other design differences that significantly affect system and crew survivability made data from previous live fire tests insufficient to  support an evaluation of Joint Assault Bridge system. Shortly before being added to DOT&E operational test oversight, the Army’s  operational test agency approved a test plan for the program that included two test events and 40 launch-and-recovery cycles of the  system’s bridge (e.g., put the bridge down and pick it back up). DOT&E requested further details on the Army’s test plan once the  program was placed on DOT&E’s operational test oversight list, and the Army responded by providing an updated test concept in  July 2014 that condensed initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) into one event at Aberdeen Proving Ground with 36  launch-and-recovery cycles; the cycle reduction would be mitigated through developmental testing. DOT&E outlined the risks in this  test concept, stating that cycles performed in developmental testing would not change the need for at least 65 launch-and-recovery  cycles, which DOT&E found through statistical analysis was the minimum number of cycles required to reduce test risk and  demonstrate system effectiveness at IOT&E. Additionally, DOT&E, along with the Army’s Operational Test Command, found that  Aberdeen Proving Ground did not provide an operationally realistic test environment. Fort Hood was recommended as an IOT&E  Impact: The program’s live-fire test strategy will include full-up system level, fire survivability, and battle damage assessment and  repair tests. The program office estimated a cost of $7.2 million to reconfigure a development model Joint Assault Bridge for live fire  testing. Program officials believed a delay to first unit equipping could occur, with the time needed to incorporate the DOT&E- approved live fire test program and other factors contributing to a potential delay.  A minimum of 66 launch-and-recovery cycles are  planned for IOT&E at Fort Hood, which reduces risk identified in previous test proposals. Test efficiencies are expected from  employing soldiers in IOT&E that are from the potential first unit to be equipped with the Joint Assault Bridge.

Resolution status: The system is scheduled to undergo an integrated test (combined developmental and operational test) at  Aberdeen Proving Ground in January 2018 followed by IOT&E at Fort Hood in March 2018.

In 2011, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) identified discrepancies in the Army’s approved requirements  document between the stated need for Paladin Integrated Management—a self-propelled howitzer artillery cannon—to operate  against specific threats, and protection the system would actually provide based on its technical specifications. In particular, DOT&E  stated the system specifications would provide insufficient protection to its crew against existing threats in its intended operational  environment. To address this issue, DOT&E recommended an increase in the system’s force protection and survivability  requirements or a designation that the system would not operate in threat environments, which DOT&E emphasized, were the  environments upon which the rationale for acquiring the system were based. In response, the Army updated the requirements and  amended its operating concept to eliminate the need to operate in the environment originally intended for the system, and to  establish that the system would operate on cleared routes (e.g., routes with minimal improvised explosive device threats). However,  DOT&E cited cases from recent operational experience that suggested the Army’s updates were inadequate to address threats, and  recommended to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD (AT&L)) that the Army fund,  develop, and test an underbody armor kit to address operational threats to the system’s underbody, namely improvised explosive  Impact: USD (AT&L) directed the Army to design, develop, and test an underbody armor kit to address operational threats, which if  successfully demonstrated, would provide the option to build and deploy those kits to the field as needed. Underbody kit testing will  be integrated into the pre-existing developmental, live-fire, and operational test plans and has not significantly altered test costs or  timelines. The total number of kits to be procured and fielded will be determined after testing is completed.

Resolution status: The Army stated that the estimated cost of current plans to develop, design, and procure five underbody armor  kits is $1.6 million. Three kits will be used in live fire test and two for initial operational test and evaluation. An evaluation of systems  equipped with underbody kits will inform the program’s full-rate production decision.

The P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft  The Navy's P-8A—intended to provide anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance  capabilities—is being developed in three increments. The first increment, which is intended to provide unarmed anti-surface  warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, completed initial operational test  and evaluation (IOT&E) in 2013 despite the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) advising the Navy to consider  delaying it because of known hardware and software deficiencies. DOT&E officials stated that about a month before IOT&E, the  Navy deferred wide-area anti-submarine warfare search testing planned for Increment 1 because it intended to wait until a new  system in development was available before putting anti-submarine warfare capability on P-8A. DOT&E acknowledged in its IOT&E  report that the Navy had deferred the capability, but reported that the P-8A Increment 1 was unable to execute the full range of anti- submarine warfare mission tasks defined by its original concept of operations, which had not been modified.  For anti-submarine  warfare search, DOT&E reported that P-8A would only be effective if precise cueing was provided or if a wide-area search capability  was integrated into the aircraft. Navy officials took issue with DOT&E holding them accountable for this deferred capability, noting  that the deferral was based on the Navy’s decision that it did not want to invest in putting the legacy system on the aircraft when the  system being developed provided greater capability and was expected to be available in the near future. Increment 2 test planning  was another source of disagreement between the program and DOT&E. As P-8A neared a full-rate production decision in 2013, the  content of Increment 2 was still in flux, delaying development of its test and evaluation master plan (TEMP). DOT&E did not agree  to the Navy’s proposals for testing Increment 2, noting the Navy’s plans were inadequate for determining operational effectiveness  in some operational environments and against the primary threat target.  According to DOT&E, 1 month prior to a Defense Advisory  Board review, the Navy’s operational test agency proposed a new test concept that involved highly-structured, small-area field tests.

DOT&E formally notified the Navy that this proposal was also unacceptable due to several technical reasons. DOT&E also informed  the Navy that a beyond low-rate initial production report on the IOT&E results for Increment 1 would not be submitted until the  Increment 2 TEMP was approved because the wide-area search capability deferred from Increment 1 of the program to  Increment  2 is a key reason the Navy is acquiring the P-8A.

Impact: Disagreements over the Increment 2 TEMP did not affect the full-rate production decision. Conducting agreed-to  operational testing for Increment 2 will require the Navy to increase planned operational test funding.

Resolution status: The Navy and DOT&E came to an agreement on a test plan for Increment 2 that provides statistical rigor, a  sufficient variety of test flights and environments, and end-to-end testing of anti-submarine warfare capability. Once agreement was  reached on the Increment 2 TEMP, the Navy was able to proceed to full-rate production for Increment 1 as scheduled.

In 2013, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) expressed concerns to the Air Force about the operational  relevance of, and the ability to test and evaluate, the 720-hour mean-time-between-critical-failure reliability requirement for the  Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar—a long-range, ground-based sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking, and  reporting aircraft and missiles. Prior to the decision to start the program’s system development, DOT&E communicated to the Under  Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and the Joint Chiefs of Staff that this requirement was not  adequately justified and had a high risk of not being achievable or testable. Based largely on DOT&E’s reliability requirement  concerns, senior stakeholders for the program recommended a delay to the system development request for proposal release until  the reliability matter was resolved. Air Force officials took issue with what they viewed as DOT&E seeking to change program  requirements, particularly because the change was posed shortly before an August 2013 Defense Advisory Board review where the  release of a system development request for proposal was expected to be approved. DOT&E stated its intent was to highlight an  issue that was likely to cause the program significant problems later on before system development was begun.

We provided a draft of this report to DOD for comment. The department  responded that it did not have any formal comments on the report.  However, DOD provided technical comments which we incorporated into  the report, as appropriate.

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional  committees; the Secretary of Defense; the Secretaries of the Army, Navy,  and Air Force; and the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. In  addition, the report will be made available at no charge on the GAO Web  site at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions concerning this report, please  contact me at (202) 512-4841. Contact points for our offices of  Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page  of this report. Staff members making key contributions to this report are  listed in appendix II.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany the National Defense  Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 directed GAO to review the  oversight activities of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Office of the  Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), including how they  may affect acquisition programs. Our objectives for this review were to  examine (1) the extent to which there have been any significant disputes  between DOT&E and acquisition programs over operational testing, and  (2) the circumstances and impact of identified operational test-related  disputes.

For our work, we reviewed relevant statutes and DOD policies and  guidance related to operational testing and DOT&E. To assess the extent  to which there have been any significant operational test-related disputes  between DOT&E and acquisition programs, as well as the circumstances  associated with them, we conducted interviews with acquisition and test  officials within the military services—Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and  Navy—and the offices of DOT&E, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of  Defense for Developmental Test and Evaluation, and the Joint Chiefs of  Staff. We asked officials to provide their perspectives on the extent and  circumstances of significant disputes—disputes that they believed were  beyond what is typical for programs—related to operational testing that  have occurred between acquisition programs and DOT&E. In addition to  our interview activities, we formally solicited input and received responses  from officials within the military service acquisition executive offices, test  and evaluation offices, and operational test agencies that identified  programs that had experienced any of the following circumstances since  fiscal year 2010:  significant delays in obtaining DOT&E’s approval of test and  evaluation master plans (TEMPs);  significant delays in obtaining DOT&E approval of operational test  plans to support initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E);  significant disputes over the test assets needed to conduct IOT&E;  significant disputes with DOT&E related to what requirements were to  be tested during IOT&E, such as testing key performance parameters  only versus testing to intended mission capabilities in an operational  environment;  significant disagreements over the characterization of IOT&E results  that led to a delay in reaching a full-rate production decision;  significant disputes related to the need to conduct live fire testing or  the extent of testing;  substantially increased costs for operational test completion that were  judged unwarranted by programs or the military services; or  significant disputes over any other elements associated with DOT&E’s  oversight role, such as decisions by DOT&E to add programs to its  oversight list, DOT&E’s activities related to operational assessments,  or the need to conduct follow-on operational testing and evaluation.

To determine the total number of programs identified as having had  significant disputes with DOT&E, we evaluated the collective information  gathered from our interviews and formal inquiries against the above  criteria. The specific sources that were asked to identify programs with  significant disputes resided within the following offices:

Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center;

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition);

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and

Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (Navy);

Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (Test and Evaluation);

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Test and Evaluation);

Director, Air Force Test and Evaluation;

Marine Corps Operational Test Activity; and

We combined the input received from these sources to form a list of all  programs reported as having experienced significant disputes with  DOT&E. We then reviewed the information gathered on the disputes for  each program to verify that one or more of the stated criterion was  associated with each program by at least one source. For the purposes of  our review and reporting, all programs that met this standard—42 in  total—were considered to have had a significant dispute with DOT&E  related to operational testing.

In addition to collecting information on programs with significant disputes,  we used DOT&E’s annual reports from fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to  compile a complete list of programs—454 in total—that were on the  DOT&E oversight list during that time frame.

To obtain a better understanding of the circumstances and impact of  operational test disputes identified by the military services, we elected to  conduct a case study analysis of a select number of the programs. Based  on an assessment of the information we collected on the 42 programs  identified with significant disputes and discussions with military service  and DOT&E officials, we judgmentally selected 10 cases for in-depth  review and analysis. The 10 cases we selected were considered to be  among the most significant disputes that occurred in each of the military  services in recent years. The cases selected include:

CVN 78 U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford Class Aircraft Carrier, Navy

DOD Automated Biometrics Identification System, Army

DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer, AN/SPY-6 Radar, Aegis Modernization  and Self-Defense Test Ship, Navy

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure

Ground / Air Task Oriented Radar, Marine Corps  Joint Assault Bridge, Army

P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, Navy

Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar, Air Force  For each case, we interviewed officials from program offices, program  executive offices, or both; operational test agencies; and the office of  DOT&E. We also reviewed programmatic documentation, such as test  and evaluation master plans, operational test plans, program briefs,  memoranda, and operational test reports, as well as other information  documenting program cost, schedule, and performance. We assessed  the information obtained from program and test officials in order to  determine more fully the circumstances of each dispute and any  corresponding impact to the programs or DOD in general. Our case study  programs are representative of the types of disputes identified overall by  military service officials. However, our case study findings are not  generalizable to the total population of disputes communicated to us or to  other defense acquisition programs.

We conducted this performance audit from July 2014 to June 2015 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions.

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

Principal contributors to this report were John Oppenheim, Assistant  Director; Laura Greifner; Seth Malaguerra; Sean Merrill; Andrew Redd;  and James Tallon. Other key contributors included Nathan Foster,  Victoria Klepacz, and Sylvia Schatz.

Question: How were DOD acquisition programs from FY2020-FY2014 overseen?

Answer: The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) provided oversight for 454 Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition programs from fiscal years 2010-2014.

Question: Of these programs, how many were identified as having significant disputes over operational testing?

Answer: Military service officials identified 42 programs from that period that they believed had significant disputes with DOT&E over operational testing—that is, disputes that may have led to cost and schedule impacts for programs.

Question: Why might the number of these disputes not be a grave cause for concern?

Answer: Acquisition and test officials from the military services identified only a limited number of cases—less than 10 percent of programs receiving DOT&E operational test oversight since fiscal year 2010—that they believed had experienced significant operational testing disputes with DOT&E. Officials noted that although these disputes can require additional time and effort to work through, they generally get resolved.

Question: Why is operational testing important?

Answer: Operational testing is intended to evaluate a system's capability in realistic combat conditions before full-rate production or full deployment.

Question: What may be a source of tension between acquisition programs and DOT&E?

Answer: Acquisition programs and DOT&E have different objectives and incentives, which can potentially fuel tension between the two over what is needed to accomplish operational testing for programs.

Question: To what extent are these tensions manageable?

Answer: According to military service officials, the tension is generally manageable and differences usually are resolved in a reasonable and timely manner, with modest adjustments often required in the course of developing and executing a test approach.

Question: What tensions are generally the most difficult to resolve?

Answer: However, sometimes differences about operational testing requirements, methods, costs, or results develop into significant disputes and are more difficult to resolve.

Inherent Tension Exists in Operational Test Oversight, but Few Programs Experienced Significant Disputes with DOT&E

Few Significant Operational Test Disputes Were Identified

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Question: To what extent did disputes affect cost and/or schedule?

Answer: In an in-depth review of 10 case studies selected from among the 42 programs with significant disputes, GAO identified a variety of factors that contributed to disputes between the acquisition programs and DOT&E, but only a few cases that involved considerable cost or schedule impacts.

Question: What key factors led to disputes?

Answer: Key factors involved the adequacy of proposed testing and differences over test requirements, assets, and the reporting of test results.

Question: What did the GAO find about the nature of these disputes?

Answer: In general, GAO found that DOT&E had valid and substantive concerns about operational test and evaluation for each of the 10 cases reviewed.

Question: Despite the “valid and substantive concerns,” what did military service officials indicate to GAO regarding what DOT&E was advocating for?

Answer: However, military service officials indicated to GAO that testing advocated by DOT&E was, in some instances, beyond what they believed was necessary and lacked consideration for programs' test resource limitations.

Question: Despite these concerns, what did military service officials admit?

Answer: In a few cases, military service officials acknowledged that benefits were achieved from resolving the disputes, such as a reduction in the scope of operational testing and better understanding of system requirements.

Question: What is expected to happen with many of the disputes GAO reviewed?

Answer: Many of the disputes GAO reviewed were, or are expected to be, resolved in DOT&E's favor with limited cost and schedule impacts to the programs.

Question: What programs have had disputes with considerable negative effects?

Answer: Resolution of disputes for three programs—DDG-51 Flight III Destroyer, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and CVN 78 aircraft carrier—had considerable potential or realized cost or schedule effects and required formal involvement from senior DOD leadership.

Question: How did the disputes affect costs for the programs?

Answer: For the first two programs, hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs were associated with resolving their disputes. For CVN 78, the dispute—which remains unresolved— involves the Navy's carrier deployment schedule and whether survivability testing will be deferred by several years.

Inherent Tension in Operational Test Oversight

A Variety of Factors Contributed to Disputes We Reviewed, but Only a Few Cases Had Significant Cost or Schedule Impacts

Most Disputes Were Resolved without Significant Cost or Schedule Impacts

Question: To what extent does DOD conduct operational testing prior to production?

Answer: DOD conducts extensive operational testing and evaluation of its military systems prior to full-rate production and fielding.

Question: What role does DOT&E play in operational testing?

Answer: DOT&E plays an integral role in operational test and evaluation by issuing policy and procedures, overseeing operational test planning, and independently evaluating and reporting test results.

Question: How may disagreements affect programs?

Answer: At times, DOT&E and acquisition programs may disagree about what is needed to adequately demonstrate operational capability, which sometimes may affect programs' cost or schedule.

Question: What does the Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2015 require of GAO?

Answer: The Joint Explanatory Statement to Accompany the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 directed GAO to review DOT&E's oversight activities.

Question: What does this report examine?

Answer: This report examines (1) the extent to which DOD acquisition programs have had significant disputes, if any, with DOT&E over operational testing, and (2) the circumstances and impact of identified disputes.

Question: What information did GAO analyze to create this report?

Answer: GAO evaluated documentation and interviewed officials from DOT&E, other DOD test organizations, and the acquisition community. GAO also conducted 10 case studies from among 42 programs identified by military service officials as having had significant disputes with DOT&E.

Question: How did GAO analyze this information?

Answer: GAO analyzed information received from acquisition and testing officials to verify the merits and degree of those disputes.