WARREN, Mich. — In a concerted effort to deliver new technology to troops and modernize testing paradigms, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) and DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center, Capability Program Executive - Combat Sustainment, Capability Program Executive – Ground, Futures and Concepts Command and Transformation Decision Analysis Center orchestrated a Ground Vehicle Reliability Summit in early May 2026. The event brought together Army leaders, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to address key challenges in accelerating the acquisition and fielding of Army ground vehicles.
As the Army undergoes its most significant transformation in decades, the demand to deliver capabilities to the warfighter at the speed of relevance has never been higher. To meet this demand, the summit focused on dismantling traditional, time-intensive testing silos and replacing them with agile, data-driven strategies.
"A life cycle data strategy is the missing link for accelerating fielding while growing system reliability. The use of Modeling and Simulation and post fielding data collection and analysis must replace traditional Reliability Availability and Maintainability (RAM) testing to iteratively improve system designs and support strategies over time,” said Ken Fischer, GVSC RAM & Test Division Chief.
Expediting delivery of reliable equipment to the Soldier requires the Army and test centers to fundamentally rethink how we assess risk and execute testing. “The efforts of this group present an amazing opportunity to accelerate fielding, reduce risk, and best meet Department of the Army and DOW objectives,” said Dr. David Mortin of the Transformation Decision Analysis Center.
During the two-day event, attendees established dedicated working groups to address four primary focus areas critical to accelerating acquisition:
- Integrating Modeling and Simulation (M&S): Accelerating the acquisition timeline by incorporating advanced digital engineering and simulated testing throughout the entire lifecycle to significantly reduce the reliance on time-consuming and costly live testing.
- Developing Risk-Informed Test Strategies: Tailoring test plans to focus on high-risk components and operational realities that are aligned to the program’s acquisition strategy, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all legacy checklists.
- Establishing Continuous Reliability Growth Plans: Ensuring systems continuously improve in developmental testing and well into their operational fielding.
- Refining the FRACAS Process: Extending the Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) process across all phases of the life cycle to ensure better data integration and accelerate corrective actions when systems fail beyond testing.
By the close of the event, each working group identified a lead for their focus area, brainstormed integrated solutions and established definitive paths forward that will be reported at 3, 6, and 12-month milestones, post-summit.
“The summit was a gathering of acquisition experts across the entire process. It allowed us to put our heads together and come up with solutions to drive innovation and improve reliability while fielding systems faster to our soldiers” said John Whitt of the Modeling, Simulation and Software Test Division at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center.
The Ground Vehicle Reliability Summit is a critical step forward in the Army and the DOW’s broader initiative to overhaul and accelerate acquisition. By fully integrating M&S early in development and adopting agile reliability frameworks, the Army is actively preparing to field the current and next generation of reliable, lethal, and survivable ground vehicles to the Soldier.
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