Developmental Test, Evaluation and Assessment

About the Office of Developmental Test, Evaluation and Assessment

Institute for Defense Analyses

Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) Mission

The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a private, nonprofit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Our mission is to answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical and analytic expertise. IDA manages three federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs): The Systems and Analysis Center (SAC), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), and the Center for Communications and Computing (CCC). IDA also manages the Defense Management Institute (DMI). For more information about the IDA FFRDCs, please visit: https://www.ida.org/about-ida The Office of the Secretary of Defense is SAC's primary sponsor. SAC blends expertise in technologies and systems with deep knowledge of costs, policies, human capital, intelligence, advanced analytic methods, and sponsor organizations and processes. Researchers from SAC support DTE&A.

How IDA Supports DTE&A

IDA has supported DTE&A since the enactment of the Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act (WSARA) of 2009 directed the reestablishment of the position of Director, Developmental Test & Evaluation (DDT&E) in OSD for "monitoring and reviewing" DT&E activities across the DoD. The comprehensive support provided by IDA spans various critical areas, including:

Program Support: Offering early engagement and sustained support throughout the program lifecycle.
Utilization of Deep Technical Expertise: Supporting DTE&A assessments through deep and broad technical expertise and experience.
Advancement of DT&E "State of Practice": Developing and promulgating new methodologies, along with crafting guidance issued by DTE&A.
Application of M&S to Test and Evaluation: Using modeling and simulation approaches to improve test and evaluation.
Support to DTE&A Cybersecurity: Pioneering novel approaches, tools, and techniques, coordinating cyber resources, and contributing to policy and guidance enhancement.

IDA's efforts play a pivotal role in ensuring that programs following any AAF pathway are structured to identify problems significantly affecting mission performance early, enabling timely, cost-effective correction. IDA's work not only informs the planning, conduct, and analysis for testing the acquisition programs of today, it also informs how to test the emerging technologies of tomorrow.