U.S. Army Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment Activity

By Nicole Barnes, AMCOMSeptember 2, 2009

U.S. Army Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment Activity

What is it'

The U.S. Army Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment Activity (USATA) executes the Army's test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE) calibration and repair support program. USATA is the Army's recognized leader for advanced, state-of-the-art metrology, i.e. precision measurements.

How important is this to the Army'

USATA provides the technical expertise and world-wide facilities for the Army's TMDE calibration and repair support program for every weapon system currently in the Army inventory. USATA also supports other Department of Defense, federal and state government agencies including the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Department of Homeland Security, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

What is the Army doing'

USATA oversees and supports over 700,000 pieces of test equipment world-wide and carries out its mission with measurement accuracies traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Army's primary metrology and calibration laboratory, known as the Army Primary Standards Laboratory (APSL), provides the Army's highest level of meteorology and calibration services and ensures traceability for a hierarchy of TMDE support activities world-wide. As the standards go up the traceability chain, the accuracy of the measurement becomes more precise.

More recently, the APSL's Army Dosimetry Center (ADC) has developed a prototype self-contained Deployable Dosimetry Laboratory (DDL) for quick response to worldwide radiation incidents involving Army personnel. This mobile facility is designed to operate on site from the back of a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) and provide rapid measurements of radiation exposure to Soldiers. During the last year, APSL personnel have participated in several field training exercises (FTX) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Department of Energy (DOE), Idaho Falls, Idaho, the 1st Area Medical Laboratory at Fort Dix, N.J., and the Y-12 gaseous diffusion facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. During the FTX's the DDL was integrated into the 20th Support Command and provided onsite measurements of radiation exposure to soldiers participating in the FTX.

What is planned for the future'

Based on the success of the ADC's participation in these exercises, the 20th Support Command has requested that the DDL and APSL personnel participate in the next FTX which is scheduled for November 2009 at the Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Resources:

<a href="https://tmdehome.redstone.army.mil/" target="_blank"> USATA Public Web site </a>

<a href="https://www.us.army.mil/suite/collaboration/folder_V.do'foid=12747269" target="_blank"> USATA AKO Web site Files </a>

<a href="http://www.train.army.mil/wudemo/wudemo/OMMU.html" target="_blank">eOrdnanceU Portal</a>