Live Fire Test & Evaluation Conference

This conference will be be held at the SECRET/US ONLY classification.

Recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have highlighted the need for our combat systems to be survivable and effective. Many of our systems employed in combat have undergone statutorily-mandated Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E), and have benefited from the advanced understanding of how our weapons perform and how our systems will respond when hit. This conference will address the impact of global threats, including strategic, tactical (including ballistic, directed energy and other non-ballistic threats) and unconventional threats (IEDs, others) on the safety and survivability of our armed forces. It will explore new survivability techniques and approaches to integrate survivability concerns within the broad considerations of system design and employment. The conference will also address issues related to lethality of our weapons systems, from small caliber munitions to missile defense. Lethality will be discussed within the operational context of increased precision of delivery and the desire to limit collateral damage. Other topics, which also play a vital role in this process, will include modeling and simulation, experimental design, test ranges, instrumentation and environmental issues related to this type of testing. LFT&E policies, procedures and best practices will also be addressed.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the statutory requirement for LFT&E of acquisition programs under Title 10, United States Code (Section 2366). The statute, which became effective in FY1987, requires realistic survivability testing and realistic lethality testing for applicable systems. Since FY1995, OSD oversight of LFT&E has been provided through the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, which provides for an integrated assessment of operational effectiveness (including lethality), suitability and survivability.