Implementing new RAM initiatives in Army Test And Evaluation

This paper describes the processes for implementing new Department of the Army (DA) reliability policy directives issued by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, or ASA(ALT). It highlights key points of the implementation guide prepared by the U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC) and the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). The implementation plan herein utilizes GEIA-STD-0009 for developing contract language promoting reliability best practices. The Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity's (AMSAA's) new Reliability Program Scorecard is used for performing early-on engineering evaluations of contractor reliability engineering activities. Note that both of these tools are outcomes of the Department of Defense (DoD) Reliability Improvement Working Group (RIWG). The implementation plan also addresses the Defense Science Board (DSB) recommendation and the new DoD acquisition regulations to establish Reliability Growth (RG) programs for developmental systems. Growth programs and associated planning curves are constructed via AMSAA's Planning Model based on Projection Methodology, hereafter referred to as PM2. Finally, AMSAA's COnsumption, HOlding, Repair and Transportation (COHORT) cost model is utilized to identify life cycle cost impacts for systems that breach their established reliability thresholds.