There is one sure thing about the United States Army…they do not just accept that any equipment being used by their personnel will be safe and trustworthy.
The U.S. Army has systems in place in which they test, retest and test some more to make sure that the equipment being used is not only safe, but is reliable under extreme circumstances.
The Army command that is in charge of testing and evaluation is called ATEC. In today’s post, I am going to provide you with 11 cool facts about the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC).
If you have any questions or any added facts, feel free to share them in the comment section at the end of this post.
1: The Beginning of ATEC
The Army powers decided that testing and evaluation was too widespread to keep order. In 1998, it was decided to consolidate all testing and evaluation of Army equipment and weapons into one command. Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC) was redesignated the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) on October 1st, 1999. All subordinate commands were also redesignated becoming:
U.S. Army Evaluation Center
U.S. Army Developmental Test Command
and U.S. Army Operational Test Command
2: Headquarters
While ATEC has a wide variety of locations, their headquarters are near Arlington, Virginia at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
3: On Facebook
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command is on Facebook.
4: ATEC Mission and Vision
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command mission and vision statements can provide a good look at what they intend to solve and goals for the future. I normally do not cut and copy, but this is one area that the wording must stay the same:
Mission
“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.”
Vision
“To be a team of highly skilled test and evaluation professionals focused on informing equipping decisions for today’s and tomorrow’s war-fighter.”
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Army Commander’s Maintenance Evaluation Team (COMET) Program Overview
- Types of Mandatory Army Officer Evaluation Reports
- Army Officer Evaluation Report Tips
5: Customer Base
ATEC has a customer base that includes the complete U.S. Army, and:
The Department of Defense
The United States Navy and Marines
The United States Air Force
The United States Coast Guard
The U.S. Congress
The National Security Agency (NSA)
Allied foreign countries
and the Joint Chiefs of Staff
6: # of Employees
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command is a major employer. They have approximately 9,000 employees that are military, civilian and contract. These consist of:
Researchers
Evaluators
Test officers
Engineers
Technicians
and Scientists
7: On YouTube
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command also is on YouTube. You can watch their interesting videos and subscribe to their channel by clicking here.
8: Daily Tests
On a daily basis, ATEC is performing 1,100+ tests. Some are initial testing, while others are in final phases or somewhere in between.
9: Testing Locations
All testing locations are high security clearance and consist of:
Army Evaluation Center at Aberdeen, Maryland. James Cooke is the Director.
Joint Test Element at Aberdeen, Maryland. Mark Valeri is the Director.
Aberdeen Test Center at Aberdeen, Maryland. Colonel Morris Bodrick is the Commander.
Yuma Proving Ground at Yuma, Arizona. Colonel Randy Murray is the Commander.
Dugway Proving Ground at Dugway, Utah. Colonel Sean Kirschner is the Commander.
White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Brigadier General Timothy Coffin is the Commander.
Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Colonel Donald Wilhide is the Commander.
Redstone Test Center at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Colonel Pat Mason is the Commander.
Operational Test Command at Fort Hood, Texas. Colonel John Ulrich is the Commander.
10: ATEC Leadership
With a lot of responsibility, the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command has some very capable leadership. They are:
Commanding General: Major General Daniel Karbler
Executive Technical Director: Michael Zweibel
Chief of Staff: Karen Taylor
Command Sergeant Major: CSM Andrew Connette
11: Employment Opportunities
As I stated earlier, ATEC is a huge employer. There are various intern programs and programs for recent college graduates. Just to name a few, there is:
The Internship Program
The Recent Graduates Program
and the Presidential Management Fellows Program
If any of these may be of interest to you, I suggest you take a look at this link.
If you are a civilian who would like to work at one of these test locations, I was just looking at some of the jobs available. There are jobs such as:
Facilities Operations Specialist in Huntsville, Alabama. This has a salary of $85,935.00 to $111,720.00 per year.
General Engineer at Yuma Proving Ground. The salary is $71,012.00 to $92,316.00 per year.
Cook at Fort Greely, Alaska. The pay is $22.39 to $26.11 per hour.
Security Guard at Dugway Proving Ground. You could earn $35,609.00 to $46,294.00 per year.
You can look at these jobs and other career opportunities through ATEC by going to this link.
Final Thoughts
Each and everything the Army uses must be tested for reliability and safety. We have men and women putting their lives on the line…they deserve the best. ATEC attempts to give them the best.
What are your thoughts?
We would love to hear from any military personnel or civilians who have worked under the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command. Please tell us more about this command and the various items tested.
You can post any comments, suggestions or questions below. Thank you.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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