The United States Department of Defense must urgently reform the way it tests and evaluates its major weapons programs if it wants to deliver weapons to its troops at a faster pace. This is the stark conclusion of a new report published today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressional watchdog.
The criticism targets systemic deficiencies that prevent the efficient implementation of cutting-edge technologies and delay equipping soldiers with necessary gear on the front lines.
GAO’s Harsh Verdict: Obsolete Policies Block Innovation
The GAO report outlines 13 specific recommendations for the DoD and its military branches, focusing on the need to align weapon system test and evaluation policies with „leading practices” in product development. The analysis found that current DoD-wide policies are not fully consistent with essential principles: early tester involvement, iterative testing, the use of „digital twins and threads,” and iterative user feedback.
„Revisions should require involvement of testers in acquisition strategies; iterative approaches to testing, including use of digital twins and threads; and ongoing end user input,” the report stresses, insisting on the necessity of fundamental changes.
Concrete Examples: From Assault Aircraft to Fighter Jets
The identified shortcomings are illustrated by concrete examples from key military programs:
- FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft): The Army’s development of its future MV-75 FLRAA does not include an iterative test approach. Without one, the service is „missing opportunities to provide testing that is tailored and responsive to rapid design iterations,” which could ultimately lead to getting soldiers in the cockpit sooner.
- F-22 Raptor Modernization: The Air Force’s efforts to modernize the F-22 Raptor fleet through the „Sustainment, Enhancement, and Evolution Program” do not consider how to incorporate user feedback into an iterative testing process. „The Air Force is missing opportunities to ensure that testing proceeds expeditiously and that the systems under test are responsive and relevant to warfighter needs,” the GAO warns. Proposed solutions include advocating for tester access to digital tools, adopting iterative test approaches, and developing user agreements for continuous feedback.
The Pentagon’s Response: Partial Agreement and a Singular Dissent
Out of the 13 recommendations made by the GAO, the Department of Defense and the military branches fully concurred with seven, partially concurred with five, and dissented on only one.
At the top level, the Secretary of Defense’s office partially concurred with the three recommendations directed its way, committing to revising weapon system test and evaluation, digital engineering, and systems engineering policies to fully reflect leading practices and an iterative, integrated testing approach.
The Army, on the other hand, agreed with all three recommendations aimed at it, including revising test and evaluation policy so that testing strategies and plans reflect an iterative, integrated approach enabled by digital twins and digital threads to support the delivery of minimum viable products.
The only full dissent came from the Navy, which did not concur with the suggestion that test plans incorporate „end user agreements that detail a process for obtaining ongoing user input and feedback.”
This report highlights a continuous tension between the desire for rapid modernization and bureaucratic inertia, at a time when national security demands maximum agility and efficiency.
