In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Live Fire (JLF) Test Program to determine: (1) the status of each munition and system scheduled for testing; (2) the methodological quality of the test and evaluation process; (3) the advantages and limitations of full-up, live-fire testing; and (4) needed improvements.
GAO found that: (1) the JLF tests for armor were two years behind schedule due to a controversy over objectives and methodology; (2) although the aircraft testing program has suffered less severe delays, a lack of targets is a problem for both components; (3) DOD has made little progress in validating its vulnerability/lethality (V/L) assessment program estimates; (4) full-up, live-fire testing is the only V/L assessment method that provides direct visual observation of weapon damage to a target under realistic conditions; (5) high cost and the limited target availability are the main limitations to testing; and (6) other test methods could supplement full-up, full-scale testing, but not substitute for it. GAO identified possible improvements in the design, conduct, and interpretation of live-fire testing.