Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605712A/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Support of Operational Testing
Budget figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $74.1M |
| FY25 | $76.1M |
| FY26 | $63.6M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
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 | $49.0M | $49.1M | $49.6M | $50.7M | $52.1M | $52.3M | $54.1M | $54.8M | $69.9M | $74.1M | ||
| Enacted | $49.3M | $49.7M | $51.0M | $52.7M | $52.7M | $54.1M | $55.1M | $70.7M | $75.1M | $76.1M | ||
| Request | $49.7M | $51.0M | $52.7M | $52.7M | $54.5M | $55.1M | $70.7M | $75.1M | $76.1M | $63.6M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $75.1M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $74.1M as actual total obligation authority — $1.00M below the request. 74.1 − 75.1 = -1.0 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 — Support of Operational Testing
This funding line supports testing of Army Transformation Priority Programs. This Program Element (PE) provides resources to the United States (U.S.) Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) to operate the Army's Operational Test Command (OTC). OTC conducts independent operational tests that provide significant data to Army decision-makers on key Army systems and concepts. This PE finances recurring costs for OTC that are essential for conducting realistic and continuous testing in the critical areas of equipment, doctrine, force design and training. These recurring costs include civilian pay, requirements for test support contracts, sustainment of test technology, network support, temporary duty, training, supplies, and equipment. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $5.863 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.46 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — ATEC Activities
This Project provides funding to the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) to operate the Operational Test Command (OTC) which conducts independent operational tests that provide significant data to Army decision makers on key systems in support of the Army's transformation priorities. These operational tests are required by public law (Title 10 USC 2399). This Project finances recurring costs for OTC that are essential to conduct realistic and continuous testing in the critical areas of equipment, doctrine, force design and training. These recurring costs include civilian pay, requirements for test support contracts, sustainment of test technology, network support, training, supplies, equipment, and temporary duty travel. OTC consists of four forward Test Directorates (Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Air and Missile Defense Test Directorate, Fort Bliss, Texas; Fires Support Test Directorate, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and the Intelligence Electronic Warfare Test Directorate, Fort Huachuca, Arizona) together with four additional Test Directorates (Aviation; Maneuver; Mission Command; Maneuver Support and Sustainment) and OTC Headquarters at Fort Cavazos, Texas. These activities support the development and fielding cycle of all Army acquisition programs including rapid fielding initiatives in support of the Army's Transformation Initiatives. The primary mission of these test directorates is to perform detailed planning, execution, and reporting of Customer Tests, Early User Tests, Limited User Tests (LUT), Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOTE), and Follow-On Operational Tests (FOT) in support of the Army's Signature Transformation Efforts. OTC also supports Army Futures Command's Soldier Touch Points and other early assessments of potential new systems the Army seeks to acquire in support of Army transformation. Funding provides essential sustainment of models, simulations, and instrumentation for operational testing of airborne/aviation systems, mission command systems, fires systems, intelligence systems, real-time casualty assessment (RTCA), and common live-virtual-constructive (LVC) tools.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)
Operational Test Command Civilian Pay
This funding supports the cost of the OTC civilian workforce. OTC civilians provide trusted, and independent operational testing in support of Army and DoD acquisition. OTC plans and execute testing for Army and DoD programs, with a priority effort to Army Futures Command Cross Functional Team (CFT) programs. OTC deploys teams of Civilians globally to replicate future operating environments, provide real-time test control, and collect data on mission-effectiveness, system suitability, and survivability in support of AEC and DOT&E evaluations. OTC collaborates with ATEC test centers and the training, experimentation, and threat communities to drive the acquisition and evolution of test technologies, threats, and targets needed to provide trusted, relevant test environments for those systems.
Operational Test Command Operations Support
OTC operational costs including mission support and information technology contracts, logistics training, equipment, travel, facility maintenance and supplies.
Test Technology Sustainment
This project sustains OTC Test Assets used to emulate contested Multi Domain Operation (MDO) Future Operating Environments (FOE), providing real-time test monitoring and control while supporting end-to-end data requirements that range from data collection to analysis and visualization. Funds are utilized for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, or to replace existing assets that are no longer serviceable or manufacturer-supportable with new assets that address the same or similar requirement. This includes modifications to existing assets undertaken to extend the life of the asset beyond what was previously planned. This project sustains expertise responsible for employing modeling and simulation tools to support operational tests while continuously striving for interoperability and integration between existing and newly acquired assets. All actions will reduce test costs and demand for live units by simulating realistic, future-focused tactical engagements, adjacent and higher headquarters units, mission command message traffic, and battlefield kinetic and non-kinetic effects. Project funding will similarly sustain video data capture equipment, appended data collection devices, software used to collect and analyze system performance, and technical expertise/software required to maintain cyber security of assets in accordance with Risk Management Framework (RMF) Accreditation.
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY24 Actuals | $74.1M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Enacted | $76.1M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Total | $76.1M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Disc. Request | $63.6M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Total | $63.6M |
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 | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $74.1M | $76.1M | $63.6M | $63.6M |
| V02: ATEC Activities | $74.1M | $76.1M | $63.6M | $63.6M |
Follow the dollar
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 312 of 1,938 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high or medium 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 Support of Operational Testing. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,938 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J186
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2017 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J153
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2017_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2018 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J168
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2018_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2019 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J168
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2019_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2020 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J192
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2020_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2021 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J201
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2021_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2022 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J178
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2022_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2023 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J177
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2023_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J176
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J178
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.
RDTE - Vol 4 - Budget Activity 6 · www.asafm.army.mil
PDF page 156