Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center announces mission realignment

  • Published
  • By Katherine C Gandara
  • Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Chief of Public Affairs
The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center has begun realigning mission capability to support cyber operations. This realignment will shift about 70 personnel over approximately 18 months from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., to three other AFOTEC Detachments located in California, Colorado, and Florida.

"The organizational change will more effectively integrate command and control and cyber concerns with operational test and evaluation of command and control assets, space orbital vehicles, and space ground stations systems," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Sargeant, AFOTEC Commander.

General Sargeant remains in command of the realigned organization which tests and evaluates new weapons systems capabilities to provide fact-based, decision-quality data to inform decision makers during the acquisition process.

According to General Sargeant, "Realigning AFOTEC's command and control and cyber expertise to our detachments is consistent with Air Force integration of Cyber and Space, and recognizes the mission critical role of software in the command and control of modern warfare."

The AFOTEC Commander has been evaluating ways to achieve the right mixture of manpower and operational test and evaluation capability to support the Air Force commitment to acquisition excellence.

"Placing the manpower and expertise with other operational test and evaluation activities will result in enhanced early influence and integrated test activities," said General Sargeant. "Modern weapon systems are infused with software and the segregation of software for command and control and cyber capability does not reflect the way today's weapons systems are developed for use in a realistic battlespace environments."

The projected 18-month process will move personnel from AFOTEC's Kirtland-based Detachment 3 to three other detachments. The current realignment plan will transition approximately 80 percent of the billets to detachments at Edward AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., and Peterson AFB, Colo. The remaining 20 percent of the billets will be absorbed into AFOTEC's headquarters at Kirtland. The realignment affects eight civilian and 61 military billets. Personnel capabilities and expertise will be aligned or realigned to support existing and projected operational test and evaluation requirements.