Navy Operational Test and Evaluation

A Valuable Tool Not Fully Utilized (Unclassified Digest of a Classified Report) Gao ID: PSAD-78-77 March 29, 1978

The Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force tests and evaluates Navy weapon systems in an operational environment and develops procedures and tactics for their use. The Test Force is separate and independent of developing, procuring, and using commands and reports results of operational tests and evaluations directly to the Chief of Naval Operations.

The Navy has made considerable progress in planning and conducting tests and reporting test results. However, in some instances, Navy officials made procurement decisions before sufficient operational test and evaluation was completed, and some systems entered production before it was known whether they could perform their missions under combat conditions. Operational test and evaluation results completed on some weapon systems after production began showed significant performance problems. Deviations from prescribed testing procedures should be made only when the need for the system is critical or the risk of performance problems is minimal. In some cases, a complete operational test and evaluation could not be made because of limited test resources.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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