U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center : Test and Evaluation Acquisition Career Field certification changes

Defense AT&L, March-April, 2007

The beginning of the fiscal year is traditionally the effective date for Acquisition Career Field (ACF) certification changes. These changes are officially announced and maintained in the online Defense Acquisition University (DAU) catalog <www.dau.mil>. Effective Oct. 1, 2006, significant changes in the Level I, II, and III certification training requirements have been introduced for the Test and Evaluation (T & E) ACF. A quick summary of the changes follows.

Effective Oct. 1, 2006, the training requirements for T & E Levels II and III acquisition certification have been revised to state that an individual seeking certification must have completed the prior level's training requirements in order to gain the next level acquisition certification. The choice of these particular words was intentional by the DoD T & E Functional Integrated Product Team (FIPT). The FIPT felt that due to extensive changes in the T & E curriculum at all levels, it was necessary for students to also complete the lower level training requirements in order to be successful in the next level T & E courses. The intent was neither to burden the T & E students nor to diminish the previously granted T & E certifications. These FY07 certification requirements were approved by the DoD Technical Management Functional Advisor memorandum dated April 13, 2006.

This means that if you were previously certified at Level I in T & E and are seeking Level II certification (post Oct. 1, 2006), you must now meet both the Level II T & E training requirements in addition to the current Level I T & E training requirements. This may necessitate your completing some additional training since the T & E Level I training requirements changed on Oct. 1, 2006. Similarly, if you were previously certified at Level II in T & E and now seek Level III certification, you must now meet both the Level III T & E training requirements in addition to the current Level II T & E training requirements. This may necessitate your completing some additional training since the T & E Level II training requirements changed on Oct. 1, 2006.

Other T & E Training Changes

The training certification requirements for TST 101 (Level 1), TST 202 (Level 2), and TST 301 (Level 3) shall remain in effect until each new successor course (TST 102, TST 203, and TST 302) is fielded. The exact date for this to be completed has not yet been determined.

The new required course CLE-011, Modeling & Simulation for Systems Engineers, is a DAU Continuous Learning Module and has been available online since May 2006. Completion of this CLM is a mandatory for Level I certification; others are strongly encouraged to complete this short course.

If you have additional questions, please contact your designated acquisition career manager, send an e-mail to asc.acq.career.management@asc.belvoir.army.mil, or contact the T & E Functional Point of Contact, Larry Leiby at 703-695-7389.