# Support of Operational Testing — Program Element 0605712A

**Program element:** 0605712A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605712A

## Summary

U.S. Army requests $60.7M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 75.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 63.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 60.7 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 60.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 61.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 63.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 64.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 60.7 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 60.7 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 60.7 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 60.7 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V02 | ATEC Activities | 75.1 | 63.6 | 60.7 | −5% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project V02 — 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.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Test Command Civilian Pay | 52.0 | 42.9 | 42.4 |
| Operational Test Command Operations Support | 11.2 | 10.4 | 9.4 |
| Test Technology Sustainment | 12.0 | 10.4 | 9.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

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.

## Related program elements

- [0303142A — SATCOM Ground Environment (SPACE)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0303142A) (Army)
- [0605027D8Z — OUSD(C) IT Development Initiative](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605027D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605384BP — Chemical and Biological Defense Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605384BP) (Defense-Wide)
- [0304260F — Airborne SIGINT Enterprise](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304260F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605712A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605712A")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*