Senators question path ahead for culled Pentagon weapons testing office

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s pick to run the Pentagon’s revamped weapons testing office faced questions today from Senators concerned about downsizing and transparency.

“For decades, DOT&E [the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation] has played a vital, legally mandated role in safeguarding the integrity of major defense programs and ensuring military systems are affected before they are put into war fighters’ hands,” said Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Unfortunately, in May, the Secretary of Defense announced his plan to significantly reduce the DOT&E office, including slashing its workforce budget and resources.”

“With drastically reduced resources, DOT&E may be unable to provide adequate oversight for critical military programs, risking operational awareness and taxpayer dollars,” Reed later added.

Reed’s comments come at a time of change for the office and ahead of a vote for Amy Henninger to take the reins as director. Henninger has previously worked at DOT&E and is currently a senior advisor for the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate.

Congress established the testing office in 1983, in part to shed light on weapon development concerns like the Army’s storied Bradley Fighting Vehicle that was found to endanger soldiers’ lives. 

Part of that office’s job today is serving as an advisor to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council and producing an annual report updating lawmakers about the progress and challenges facing multi-million and multi-billion-dollar weapon development programs.

But in late May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inked a memo removing the office’s director and reducing the staff down to 30 civilian positions, with no more than one senior executive service member and 15 assigned military personnel posts. Hegseth also directed an end to all contracting personnel supporting the office. 

Calling that directive a “dangerous decision,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., estimated that DOT&E is now operating with just 26 percent of its staff and 20 percent of its previous budget. And those reductions, she added, could mean the office will not be able to raise a red flag when a new program is woefully inadequate. 

“The reason for that bill was because the military had been caught trying to cover up major problems like that of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle which would, ‘burn its crew to death if it were hit by a single Soviet tank missile,’” Warren said.

“If you are confirmed to lead the testing office, it will be your job to make sure that similar problems are brought to light and fixed … and I have serious concerns about whether you will have the resources you need to accomplish your stated mission,” Warren later added.

In response, Henninger vowed to “always come before you and tell the truth,” and in her written response to Congress promised to remain “wholly independent and objective” by keeping a clear separation from acquisition entities. 

Henninger also told lawmakers that if confirmed, she would work on a “comprehensive review” of the DOT&E portfolio, scope, workload, workforce capacity, and skillsets to ensure that the office is adequately resourced for its mandate.

“This review would include assessing the personnel requirement for government civilians and military personnel to execute the inherently governmental functions of DOT&E, as well as the requirement for contractor support personnel,” she wrote in response to questions. 

“I would identify the competencies and skills needed to meet current responsibilities and future requirements, considering the rise of emerging technologies, the complexity of the operational environment, and the demands of adaptive acquisition framework initiatives,” she later added.