Beret flashes worn by the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (left) and Airborne Test Force (right)
ATEC seal
Military unit
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, or ATEC, is a direct reporting unit of the United States Army responsible for developmental testing, independent operational testing, independent evaluations, assessments, and experiments of Army equipment.[1]
As a direct reporting unit (DRU) to the Chief of Staff of the Army, ATEC informs Army senior leaders of testing and evaluation activities. These activities help Army leadership make acquisition and fielding decisions.[2][3][4]
On 18 November 1998, consolidation of existing Army (developmental and operational) testing commands was approved by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (VCSA).[6][7]
The Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC) was redesignated as the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) on 1 October 1999.[6][7]
All major subordinate commands of OPTEC were similarly redesignated:[5]
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) became the U.S. Army Developmental Test Command (DTC), Aberdeen Proving Ground.
U.S. Army Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) was redesignated U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC), at Fort Hood, Texas.
The Operational Evaluation Command and the Evaluation Analysis Center combined, forming the U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC), located at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Operations
ATEC employs approximately 9,000 military, civilian, and contract employees. These employees consist of test officers, engineers, scientists, technicians, researchers, and evaluators. ATEC is involved in over 2,300 tests annually, encompassing anything from individual weapons to National Missile Defense systems.[5]
The annual budget for the command is in excess of half a billion dollars.[citation needed]
↑ "Organization | U.S. Army". army.mil. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025. U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) | Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (___enter___); ATEC is designated as a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) by the Secretary of the Army and reports directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army. The ATEC plans, integrates, and conducts: experiments, developmental testing, independent operational testing, and independent evaluations and assessments to provide essential information to acquisition decision makers and Commanders.
↑ "Air and Missile Defense | OTC". atec.army.mil/otc. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025. (...) ATEC and OTC maintain their congressional[ly] mandated position of independent test and evaluation leadership to provide senior Army and DoD leadership operational test assessments to enable leaders to make acquisition and fielding decisions.
1 2 3 "History | ATEC". www.atec.army.mil. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025. In 1998, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army approved the consolidation of developmental and operational testing. Central to the consolidation was ATEC assuming overall responsibility for all Army developmental and operational testing. The original U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) became a major subordinate command of ATEC and was redesignated as the U.S. Army Developmental Test Command (DTC). In addition, the U.S. Army Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) was redesignated the U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC). The third ATEC subordinate organization that was redesignated encompassed both the U.S. Army Operational Evaluation Command and the U.S. Army Evaluation Analysis Center, which were combined to form the U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC), completing the earlier decision to move developmental and operational evaluation into a single, integrated command. (___enter___); ATEC's 8,000+ military, civilian, and contractor personnel are highly skilled test officers, engineers, scientists, technicians, researchers, and evaluators who are involved in over 2,300 tests annually. (...) (___enter___); As a direct reporting unit (DRU) under the Vice Chief of Staff the Army, ATEC is dedicated to informing Army senior leaders and enabling the Army's continuous transformation(.) (...)
1 2 "History | OTC". atec.army.mil. Archived from the original on 5 March 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025. On November 18, 1998, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army approved consolidation of developmental and operational testing. That decision led to the re-designation of the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC) to the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) on October 1, 1999.
1 2 "History of U.S. Army Operational Test Command (1999-Present)"(PDF). atec.army.mil. p.1. Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 March 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025. On November 18, 1998, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army approved consolidation of developmental and operational testing. That decision led to the re-designation of the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC) to the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) on October 1, 1999.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
United States Army 
