Army Test Ranges and Facilities

The Army Test Ranges and Facilities program (PE 0605601A) provides institutional funding for the operation, maintenance, and modernization of the Army's developmental Test and Evaluation (T&E) infrastructure. The program supports eight elements of the Department of Defense (DoD) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB), including White Sands Test Center (WSTC), Aberdeen Test Center (ATC), Electronic Proving Ground (EPG), Yuma Test Center (YTC), Arctic Regions Test Center (ARTC), Tropic Regions Test Centers (TRTC), West Desert Test Center (WDTC), and the Biological Test Division (BTD) at Dugway Proving Ground, as well as Redstone Test Center (RTC). The primary goal is to ensure these national assets are available to support Army, Joint, and other Service acquisition programs, providing critical T&E capabilities for systems in development and production.

F30: Army Test Ranges & Facilities is the largest subproject, focusing on sustaining and upgrading the core T&E infrastructure across six MRTFB elements and RTC. Its objectives include maintaining test equipment, facilities, and support systems; replacing aging infrastructure; and ensuring compliance with safety, environmental, and efficiency standards. The funding covers indirect costs not billable to test customers, such as life cycle replacement, hazardous material handling, calibration, and administrative support. This ensures readiness for testing a wide array of systems, including aircraft, unmanned systems, missile defense, robotics, and soldier equipment. These efforts directly support Army Futures Command transformation initiatives.

Within F30, several specific objectives are funded. Mission Support maintains equipment and facilities, supports calibration and hazardous material disposal, and provides administrative and logistical support. T&E Civilian Pay ensures the retention of skilled government personnel essential for core T&E functions, while Contractor Support augments civilian staff with specialized expertise for range operations, maintenance, and data acquisition. Revitalization/Upgrade funds are directed toward improving T&E capabilities for high-priority Army modernization efforts, such as Air and Missile Defense, Long Range Precision Fires, and Multi-Domain Operations.

Additional objectives in F30 include Physical Security Guards and Equipment, which secures nuclear, chemical, and biological test sites in compliance with Army regulations. UH-60 Aircraft support provides logistical and sensor platform capabilities for developmental testing. Network Enterprise Center (NEC) funding ensures robust IT and communications infrastructure at WSMR and YPG, while Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSSP) funds compliance with DoD cybersecurity directives, protecting critical information systems. Military Construction Mission Unique Equipment (MILCON MUE) ensures new facilities are equipped for full operational capability, and MRTFB Organizational Logistics Activities provide essential logistics support previously managed by Army Material Command.

WD1: West Desert Test Center (WDTC) is a distinct budget line supporting chemical and biological defense testing at Dugway Proving Ground and the DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center (CBC) Bio-Testing Division. WDTC and BTD-CBC are the DoD's primary reliance centers for chemical and biological defense testing, offering unique range, chamber, and laboratory capabilities, including biosafety level 3 aerosol testing. Funding supports institutional overhead, civilian and contractor labor, sustainment of test instrumentation, facility maintenance, and bio-safety risk management. These resources ensure readiness for testing protective gear, decontamination systems, detectors, and non-materiel solutions, while maintaining safety and security of chemical and biological agents.

Within WD1, BioTesting Division (BTD-CBC) - MRTFB funding maintains laboratory operations, bio-safety risk management, and mission support activities, including the operation of biosafety level 1, 2, and 3 labs. WDTC, MRTFB Civilian Pay supports the specialized workforce required for chemical and biological defense testing, while WDTC, MRTFB Mission Support ensures ongoing sustainment of chemical test instrumentation and facilities. WDTC, MRTFB Contractor Support augments government staff with specialized contract labor for analysis, field support, and facility operations. Congressional adds in recent years have focused on modernization and upgrades to enhance testing capabilities at WDTC and BTD-CBC.