The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) is the principal staff assistant and adviser to the US Secretary of Defense on operational and live fire test and evaluation activities involving U.S. Department of Defense weapons systems. [1]
The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) is the principal staff assistant and adviser to the US Secretary of Defense on operational and live fire test and evaluation activities involving U.S. Department of Defense weapons systems. [1]
The director reports directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, with the following responsibilities:
The director's position was established September 24, 1983, by the Department of Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1984 (P.L. 98–94), and by Defense Directive 5141.2 of April 2, 1984.
The Operational Test and Evaluation Directorate of the Office of the Secretary of Defense is organized as follows:
The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation also maintains liaison with the Joint Chiefs of Staff J6 Joint Deployable Analysis Team. [2]
| Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(s) Served Under | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John E. Krings | April 18, 1985 - June 30, 1989 | Caspar W. Weinberger Frank C. Carlucci III William H. Taft IV (Acting) Richard B. Cheney | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | |
| Robert C. Duncan | November 22, 1989 - January 20, 1993 | Richard B. Cheney | George H. W. Bush | |
| Lee Frame (Acting) | January 21, 1993 - September 30, 1994 | Leslie Aspin, Jr. William J. Perry | William Clinton | |
| Philip E. Coyle III | October 3, 1994 - January 19, 2001 | William J. Perry William S. Cohen | William Clinton | |
| Thomas P. Christie | July 17, 2001 - January 31, 2005 | Donald H. Rumsfeld | George W. Bush | |
| David W. Duma (Acting) | February 1, 2005 - July 26, 2006 | Donald H. Rumsfeld | George W. Bush | |
| Dr. Charles E. McQueary | July 27, 2006 - May 31, 2009 | Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush Barack Obama | |
| David W. Duma (Acting) | June 1, 2009 - September 22, 2009 | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama | |
| Dr. J. Michael Gilmore | September 23, 2009 - January 19, 2017 | Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama | |
| David W. Duma (Acting) | January 20, 2017 - December 10, 2017 | James Mattis | Donald Trump | |
| Robert Behler | December 11, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | James Mattis Patrick Shanahan (Acting) Mark Esper Christopher C. Miller (Acting) | Donald Trump | |
| Dr. Raymond D. O'Toole, Jr. (Acting) | January 20, 2021 – December 20, 2021 | David Norquist (Acting) | Joe Biden | |
| Nickolas Guertin | December 20, 2021 – December 20, 2023 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden | |
| Dr. Raymond D. O'Toole, Jr. (Acting) | December 20, 2023 – April 8, 2024 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden | |
| Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt | April 8, 2024 – January 20, 2025 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden | |
| Dr. Raymond D. O'Toole, Jr. (Acting) | January 20, 2025 – May 30, 2025 | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump | |
| Carroll P. (Rick) Quade (Acting) | May 30, 2025 – Present | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |