31st Annual National Test and Evaluation Conference

The 31st Annual National Test & Evaluation Conference will focus on the improvement of T&E in our defense and homeland security acquisition systems, specifically “The Future of T&E: Technology Excellence and Innovation.” With tight budgets in Defense and Homeland Security, all parts of the acquisition communities need to do the best job possible on current programs as well as prepare for future technologies. Senior government T&E leaders have challenged the T&E community to “shift left”, embrace cybersecurity T&E, prepare for new technologies, etc. This conference is an opportunity to come together and share best current practices and ideas for future enhancements.

As a T&E community, we need to contribute to improved acquisition outcomes so systems are developed as planned, on time, and within budget. DOTE’s annual report to Congress has repeatedly discovered and revealed issues with individual programs in operational testing, which has led DOTE to conclude that the systems were not operationally effective, not operationally suitable or in some cases both. GAO and Congress have been equally critical of DHS S&T and their acquisition programs, and DHS has been challenged to adopt new technologies quickly while ensuring they work as to avoid unnecessary spending. New technologies bring greater challenges for T&E to contribute to successful acquisition outcomes.

During this conference, senior T&E leaders and stakeholders will present their views on the current situation, what can be improved and what impact new technologies will bring. Additionally, Test and Evaluation practitioners and stakeholders will present and discuss approaches and lessons learned on the various proposed improvements and ideas for new technologies. An end goal of the conference is to provide an unambiguous framework for developing action plans aimed at improving the acquisition process through more thorough T&E participation, showing how the early involvement of the T&E community has positive impacts. We are looking for papers that showcase lessons learned from successful programs to share across the community.

Our role cannot simply be to serve as a blindfolded adjudicator providing a yes or no verdict on test results. The community offers decades of insights on systems’ successes and failures, the demands of the acquisition cycle which includes required equipment, ranges, evaluation techniques and M&S tools, which need to be brought to the systems development process to achieve T&E’s full contributions. Clearly, early testing will be one of experimentation, discovery, and of learning, while testing later in the development process will be more oriented around assessing and confirming system performance prior to commitments to fielding. The Conference will address the potential roles legislatively, organizationally and in practice that the various Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have and could have in this process.