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The Department of Defense announces the selection of new projects being funded in Fiscal 2007 under the Comparative Testing Office's (CTO) Defense Acquisition Challenge (DAC) and Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) programs.
The services and the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) nominated more than 85 projects for CTO funding consideration. Each proposed project was carefully reviewed by the services, USSOCOM, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the mature equipment or technology addressed valid warfighter needs. Each project's service sponsor also had to have a viable acquisition strategy to procure and field the equipment should it test successfully and offer the best value.
The DAC and FCT programs support the warfighter by leveraging mature equipment and technologies from domestic and coalition industry to satisfy U.S. defense requirements. Performance measures include accelerating the acquisition process, reducing development costs, and providing opportunities for the introduction of innovative and cost-saving technologies into existing defense acquisition programs.
By staying focused on the capabilities required for the global war on terrorism, DAC and FCT enhance interoperability with our coalition partners, strengthen defense relationships, and frequently serve as a catalyst for partnering between domestic and overseas defense industries.
The DAC program allows domestic industries, especially those that are not major defense contractors, to compete with current acquisition programs at the component, system or sub-system level. The FCT program demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the “two-way street” in defense procurement and the willingness of our allies and coalition partners to share their technology and compete in the U.S. defense market.
Of the 37 new FCT and DAC projects for fiscal 2007, nine are sponsored by the Army, 11 by the Navy and Marine Corps, eight by the Air Force, and nine by the USSOCOM.
Defense Acquisition Challenge (DAC) and Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Programs
Army
FCT:
