Army Evaluation Center

Mission — Army Evaluation Center source

This funding line supports test and evaluation (T&E) of Army Transformation Priority Programs. This Program Element (PE) provides the resources to operate the Army Evaluation Center (AEC), the Army's independent evaluator for Army Futures Command (AFC) Cross Functional Team (CFT) efforts and all other Army and Joint Service programs (currently over 900 programs in total). AEC is the lead agent to plan, direct, and evaluate all required program testing and is the unbiased, independent authority for reporting on system progress to enable the Army to dominate in the multi-domain operational environment. AEC is the focal point in test strategy development, system safety verification, and data analyses from early developmental consumer tests through operational tests. AEC develops Critical Operational Issues and Criteria in conjunction with AFC to narrow the focus of testing to what is essential. AEC reviews and shapes system requirements to ensure they do not drive unnecessary testing. AEC provides critical independent assessments on system effectiveness, suitability, survivability (ESS), and safety to include cybersecurity; electronic warfare (EW); artificial intelligence (AI); machine learning (ML); safety of materiel solutions; and viability of emerging technologies and engineering change proposals to support major acquisition/fielding decisions including but not limited to acquisition milestones, materiel changes, and materiel releases. AEC is responsible for all assigned developmental and independent operational evaluations of Army materiel, information, and acquisition systems. AEC must remain independent from the development community. AEC assists the Chief of Staff of the Army decision making process by supporting Army Capabilities Integration Development System processes as well as supporting the AFC through the CFT concept. AEC evaluates operational effectiveness by determining if the system provides intended benefits to the Force. AEC assesses, confirms, and releases system safety for use by Soldiers upon fielding and during government sponsored experiments and demonstrations. AEC determines impacts to readiness through Human Systems Integration, Unit Systems Integration, and Army Systems Integration, as well as doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy impacts. AEC evaluates ballistics survivability and lethality missions, adversarial assessments/threat computer network operations, cooperative vulnerability and penetration assessments, and EW (attack, support) countermeasures in support of the National Defense Authorization Act 2016 Section 1647, establishment of Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Affects. AEC manages, plans, and executes Information Assurance operational assessments during annual Combatant Command and Army Service exercises in support of the congressionally mandated Office of the Secretary of Defense Director, Operational Test and Evaluation assessment, and performs operational test agency duties for the Missile Defense System of Systems. This PE funds direct civilian labor and minimum non-labor requirements to include personnel training, career development, supplies and equipment, hardware, software, temporary duty travel, and other external Other Government Agency support as well as methodology development required to evaluate emerging technologies and instrumentation requirements. AEC consists of seven directorates - Analytics, AI, and Digital Engineering Evaluation Directorate; Aviation-Fires Evaluation Directorate; Ballistic Missile Defense Evaluation Directorate (primarily funded by the Missile Defense Agency); Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Evaluation Directorate; Mounted Systems Evaluation Directorate; Soldier Evaluation Directorate; and Survivability Evaluation Directorate - and a lean headquarters (HQ) element as AEC receives staff services from the Army Test and Evaluation Command HQ. AEC provides direct support to AFC with personnel geographically co-located with eight CFTs - Long Range Precision Fires; Next Generation Combat Vehicle; Future Vertical Lift; Network; Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing; Air and Missile Defense; Soldier Lethality; and Synthetic Training Environment - and the Rapid Capabilities Critical Technology Office and the AI Task Force. The AEC primary competencies are: identify what decision makers need to know; plan and direct T&E strategies; evaluate operational ESS, and safety; and provide senior leadership unbiased advice on Army and Joint Service programs. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $1.1 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 $0.389 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 — Army Evaluation Center source

This Project provides the resources to operate the Army Evaluation Center (AEC), the Army's independent evaluator for Army Futures Command (AFC) Cross Functional Team (CFT) efforts and all other Army and Joint Service programs (currently over 900 programs in total). AEC is the lead agent to plan, direct, and evaluate all required program testing and is the unbiased, independent authority for reporting on system progress to enable the Army to dominate in the multi-domain operational environment. AEC is the focal point in test strategy development, system safety verification, and data analyses from early developmental consumer tests through operational tests. AEC develops Critical Operational Issues and Criteria (COIC) in conjunction with AFC to narrow the focus of testing to what is essential. AEC reviews and shapes system requirements to ensure they do not drive unnecessary testing. AEC provides critical independent assessments on system effectiveness, suitability, survivability (ESS), and safety to include cybersecurity; electronic warfare (EW); artificial intelligence (AI); machine learning (ML); safety of materiel solutions; and viability of emerging technologies and engineering change proposals to support major acquisition/fielding decisions including but not limited to acquisition milestones, materiel changes, and materiel releases. AEC is responsible for all assigned developmental and independent operational evaluations of Army materiel, information, and acquisition systems. AEC must remain independent from the development community. AEC assists the Chief of Staff of the Army decision making process by supporting Army Capabilities Integration Development System (A-CIDS) processes as well as supporting the AFC through the CFT concept. AEC evaluates operational effectiveness by determining if the system provides intended benefits to the Force. AEC assesses, confirms, and releases system safety for use by Soldiers upon fielding and during government sponsored experiments and demonstrations. AEC determines impacts to readiness through Human Systems Integration, Unit Systems Integration, and Army Systems Integration, as well as doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and policy impacts. AEC evaluates ballistics survivability and lethality missions, adversarial assessments/threat computer network operations, cooperative vulnerability and penetration assessments, and EW (attack, support) countermeasures in support of the National Defense Authorization Act 2016 Section 1647, establishment of Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Affects. AEC manages, plans, and executes Information Assurance operational assessments during annual Combatant Command and Army Service exercises in support of the congressionally mandated Office of the Secretary of Defense Director, Operational Test and Evaluation assessment, and performs operational test agency duties for the Missile Defense System of Systems. This Project funds direct civilian labor and minimum non-labor requirements to include personnel training, career development, supplies and equipment, hardware, software, temporary duty travel, and other external Other Government Agency support as well as methodology development required to evaluate emerging technologies and instrumentation requirements. AEC consists of seven directorates - Analytics, AI, and Digital Engineering Evaluation Directorate; Aviation-Fires Evaluation Directorate; Ballistic Missile Defense Evaluation Directorate (primarily funded by the Missile Defense Agency); Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Evaluation Directorate; Mounted Systems Evaluation Directorate; Soldier Evaluation Directorate; and Survivability Evaluation Directorate - and a lean headquarters (HQ) element as AEC receives staff services from the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) HQ. AEC provides direct support to AFC with personnel geographically co-located with eight CFTs - Long Range Precision Fires; Next Generation Combat Vehicle; Future Vertical Lift; Network; Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing; Air and Missile Defense; Soldier Lethality; and Synthetic Training Environment - and the Rapid Capabilities Critical Technology Office (RCCTO) and the AI Task Force. The AEC primary competencies are: identify what decision makers need to know; plan and direct test and evaluation (T&E) strategies; evaluate operational ESS, and safety; and provide senior leadership unbiased advice on Army and Joint Service programs.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (2)