United States Army Test and Evaluation Command


The United States Army Test and Evaluation Command is a unit of the United States Army, responsible for independent tests, evaluations, and experiments on Army equipment.
ATEC informs Army senior leaders on testing and evaluation activities. These activities help Army leadership make acquisition and fielding decisions.
It is a direct reporting unit to the Army Chief of Staff, the senior-most officer in the Army. ATEC headquarters are located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

History

On 18 November 1998, the consolidation of existing Army testing commands was approved by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.
The Operational Test and Evaluation Command was redesignated the Army Test and Evaluation Command on 1 October 1999.
All major subordinate commands of OPTEC were similarly redesignated:
  • U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command became the U.S. Army Developmental Test Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground.
  • U.S. Army Test and Experimentation Command was redesignated U.S. Army Operational Test Command, at Fort Hood, Texas.
  • The Operational Evaluation Command and the Evaluation Analysis Center combined, forming the U.S. Army Evaluation Center, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

    Operations

ATEC employs approximately 9,000 military, civilian, and contract employees. These employees consist of test officers, engineers, scientists, technicians, researchers, and evaluators. ATEC is involved in over 2,300 tests annually, encompassing anything from individual weapons to National Missile Defense systems.
The annual budget for the command is in excess of half a billion dollars.
ATEC conducts testing for all branches of the military, and maintains a large customer base that includes the National Security Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, allied foreign countries, and Congress.

Test centers and subordinate units

The Army Test and Evaluation Command has locations throughout the continental United States and Hawaii. Its headquarters are located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.Related test centers and subordinate units:
ATEC subordinate, Operational Test Command locations:
  • Fort Hood
  • * OTC headquarters
  • *Aviation Test Directorate
  • *Test Technology Directorate
  • *Maneuver Test Directorate
  • *Maneuver Support and Sustainment Test Directorate
  • *Mission Command Test Directorate
  • Fort Bragg
  • * Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate
  • Fort Bliss
  • *Air and Missile Defense Test Directorate
  • Fort Sill
  • *Fire Support Test Directorate
  • Fort Huachuca
  • *Intelligence Electronic Warfare Test Directorate