Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605118OTE/ — data as of August 12, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Operational Test and Evaluation
Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $135.8M |
| FY25 | $136.2M |
| FY26 | $133.5M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $93.2M | $76.8M | $80.8M | $83.2M | $85.7M | $93.3M | $113.1M | $105.4M | $133.6M | $135.8M | ||
| Enacted | $76.8M | $80.8M | $83.5M | $85.7M | $93.3M | $100.0M | $105.4M | $133.6M | $169.5M | $136.2M | ||
| Request | $78.0M | $83.5M | $85.7M | $93.3M | $100.0M | $105.4M | $119.5M | $169.5M | $136.2M | $133.5M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $169.5M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $135.8M as actual total obligation authority — $33.7M below the request. 135.8 − 169.5 = -33.7 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) was created by Congress in 1983. The Director is prescribed, by authority of the Secretary of Defense, policies and procedures for the conduct of operational test and evaluation (OT&E) in the Department of Defense (DoD). The Director provides guidance to and consults with the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the Service Secretaries with respect to OT&E. DOT&E's oversight list fluctuates, but generally has around 250 programs, including Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) and programs from across each of the six adaptive acquisition pathways. Programs identified as MDAPs for the purposes of test and evaluation may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production (BLRIP) until OT&E of the program is complete. DOT&E is involved early in the planning phase of each program to ensure adequate testing is planned and executed. Key elements of DOT&E's oversight authority include: - Approval of component Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs). - Approval of component OT&E test plans (TPs). - Oversight of military department preparation for and conduct of field operational tests; analysis and evaluation of the resultant test data; the assessment of the adequacy of the executed test and evaluation; and assessment of the operational effectiveness, suitability, and survivability of the defense business and weapon systems. - Reporting results of OT&E that support BLRIP decisions to the Secretary of Defense and Congress, and providing an annual report summarizing all OT&E activities and the adequacy of test resources within the DoD during the previous fiscal year. - Review of DoD budgets and financial matters related to OT&E, and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on all matters relating to operational test facilities and equipment. DOT&E also oversees and resources OT&E community efforts to plan and execute joint cybersecurity assessments of fielded systems and networks during major combatant command (CCMD) and Service exercises, and reports the trends and findings in the annual report. DOT&E is also involved in assessing and increasing the capacity of realistically advanced cyber warfighting capabilities to keep pace with heightened demand, advancing technologies, and the growing cyber threat. DOT&E funded cyber assessments provide assistance for the remediation of mission-critical vulnerabilities as rapidly as possible. This Program Element includes funds to obtain Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) support in performing the described tasks, travel funds to carry out oversight of the OT&E and cyber assessment programs, funds for Service teams performing information assurance and interoperability assessments during exercises, administrative support services, DFAS support, and engineering and technical support services.
Mission — OTE
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) was created by Congress in 1983. The Director is prescribed, by authority of the Secretary of Defense, policies and procedures for the conduct of operational test and evaluation (OT&E) in the Department of Defense (DoD). The Director provides guidance to and consults with the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the Service Secretaries with respect to OT&E. DOT&E's oversight list fluctuates, but generally has around 250 programs, including Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) and programs from across each of the six adaptive acquisition pathways. Programs identified as MDAPs for the purposes of test and evaluation may not proceed beyond low-rate initial production (BLRIP) until OT&E of the program is complete. DOT&E is involved early in the planning phase of each program to ensure adequate testing is planned and executed. Key elements of DOT&E's oversight authority include: - Approval of component Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs). - Approval of component OT&E test plans (TPs). - Oversight of military department preparation for and conduct of field operational tests; analysis and evaluation of the resultant test data; the assessment of the adequacy of the executed test and evaluation; and assessment of the operational effectiveness, suitability, and survivability of the defense business and weapon systems. - Reporting results of OT&E that support BLRIP decisions to the Secretary of Defense and Congress, and providing an annual report summarizing all OT&E activities and the adequacy of test resources within the DoD during the previous fiscal year. - Review of DoD budgets and financial matters related to OT&E, and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on all matters relating to operational test facilities and equipment. DOT&E also oversees and resources OT&E community efforts to plan and execute joint cybersecurity assessments of fielded systems and networks during major combatant command (CCMD) and Service exercises, and reports the trends and findings in the annual report. DOT&E is also involved in assessing and increasing the capacity of realistically advanced cyber warfighting capabilities to keep pace with heightened demand, advancing technologies, and the growing cyber threat. DOT&E funded cyber assessments provide assistance for the remediation of mission-critical vulnerabilities as rapidly as possible. This Program Element includes funds to obtain Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) support in performing the described tasks, travel funds to carry out oversight of the OT&E and cyber assessment programs, funds for Service teams performing information assurance and interoperability assessments during exercises, administrative support services, DFAS support, and engineering and technical support services.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)
Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)
OT&E Oversight This effort is in direct support of the Director’s Title 10 responsibilities and is a continuing effort. Funding for FY 2025 and FY 2026 provides OT&E inputs for TEMPs, TPs, and System Acquisition Reports for those programs designated for oversight by DOT&E. The key elements are identified in the DoD instructions and manuals signed by the DOT&E and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. This also includes funding for congressionally mandated test and evaluation (T&E) oversight of all Middle Tier of Acquisition programs and programs utilizing other accelerated acquisition authorities. This includes the development of independent T&E concepts for such programs; review of programs’ T&E strategies; observation of relevant test events to ensure compliance with TPs; independent data analysis; and development of reports to the Secretary of Defense and Congress on all matters related to test adequacy and demonstrated operational effectiveness, suitability, and survivability of the defense business and weapon systems. Cyber Assessment DOT&E also oversees and resources OT&E community efforts to plan and execute joint operational evaluations of information assurance (cyber survivability) and interoperability of fielded systems and networks during major CCMD and Service exercises. DOT&E reports the mission-focused trends and findings in the annual report, and provides a mission risk assessment each fiscal year. DOT&E also supports efforts to increase the capacity for assessments of advanced cyber warfighting capabilities to keep pace with heightened demand for those capabilities, advancing technologies, and the growing cyber threat. DOT&E-funded cyber assessments provide assistance for the remediation of mission-critical vulnerabilities as rapidly as possible.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense | OTE | FY24 Actuals | $135.8M |
| Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense | OTE | FY25 Enacted | $136.2M |
| Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense | OTE | FY25 Total | $136.2M |
| Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense | OTE | FY26 Disc. Request | $133.5M |
| Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense | OTE | FY26 Total | $133.5M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $232.5M | $135.8M | $136.2M | $133.5M | $133.5M |
| 000310: OTE | $232.5M | $135.8M | $136.2M | $133.5M | $133.5M |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Operational Test and Evaluation — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →