Home : Home : Warfare Centers : NSWC Indian Head : What We Do : Technical Departments : EOD Dept : Battle Lab Division : Demonstration and Assessment Team
Battle Lab Division Demonstration and Assessment Team

As part of the command's arsenal the Demonstration & Assessment Team (DAT) delivers combat power.

The DAT vision:
The DAT leverages its experience and expertise in test and evaluation and cyber security to advocate for the warfighter and provide sponsors with “turn-key” solutions to develop and safeguard mission-critical combat systems. 
The DAT ensures operational requirements and military utility are addressed at the speed of relevance to rapidly transition, acquire, and equip Warfighters with effective, suitable, and cyber resilient capabilities that enhance their missions, assure their protection, and increase their lethality. 

The DAT mission:
Support all DoD services and federal agencies with independent and objective trusted agents to plan, conduct, and analyze operational and cyber assessments to enable transitions.

Partners:

  • Marine Corps Warfighting Lab 
  • Office of Naval Research 
  • Marine Corps Systems Command 
  • Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)
  • Department of State 
  • Joint Intermediate Force Capabilities Office 
  • NAVSEA PMS 408 Expeditionary Missions
  • Office Of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering for Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) and Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) assessments
  • U.S. Combatant Commands (COCOM)

 

The DAT brokers the “Marriage of the Wizard and the Warrior”

The DAT operates in the S&T battlespace that precedes formal Programs of Record

  • Future Naval Capabilities
  • Non-Traditional Testing (JCTD, RDER, DARPA, SCO)
  • Proofs of Concept
  • Pre-Milestone B Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E)
  • Advanced & Mid-Tier Acquisition Testing (MTA)

DAT helps sponsors and developers “burn down risk” to cross the “Valley of Death.”

  • Provide Operational Test Agency (OTA)-like services before an OTA is required.
  • Prepare systems for the OT “Final Exam” from the start.
  • Address Operational Effectiveness, Operational Suitability, Operational Cyber Resilience and DOTMLPF considerations as early as possible.
  • Inject warfighter feedback early and often.

DAT has warfighters employ S&T in realistic and relevant operational environments.

  • Employ Mission-Based Test Design / Capability Based Assessments
  • Address National Defense Strategies and COCOM objectives and priorities.
  • Incorporate Naval Tri-Service Strategy and Commandant’s Planning Guidance and the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 to counter the pacing threat.

Operational Test & Evaluation Portfolio
Serves as the sponsor’s trusted agent to support the assessment of the Operational Effectiveness (OE), Operational Suitability (OS), Operational Cyber Resilience (OC) and DOTMLPF considerations of combat systems, weapons, sensors, command and control, and logistics solutions.

 

Experimentation, Demonstrations and Assessments

  • Requirements Analysis & Traceability to higher level Task Lists.
  • Electronic Data Assessment Tool (e-DAT) metrics & survey construction and administration.
  • Comprehensive Metrics Dendritic with detailed Data Collection Analysis Plan (DCAP).
  • Plan, execute and report on events to include Letters of Observation, Technology Demonstrations, Limited Technology Assessments (LTA), Operational Demonstrations and Military Utility Assessments.
  • Facilitate warfighter workshops / focus groups / ideation sessions.
  • Facilitate Tabletop Exercises (TTX) and wargames.

Operational Forces Integration & Engagement (OFI&E) 

  • Direct coordination with operational units for Warfighter participation.
  • Coordinate warfighter travel.
  • Coordinate and reserve military base and range support.
  • Coordinate manned & unmanned airspace and waterspace management.
  • Coordinate Spectrum Management.
  • Coordinate Safety, Weapon Safety, Laser Safety & Range Safety Operational Risk Management packets.
  • Coordinate Human Research Protections Programs / Institutional Review Board support.
  • Provide Range Officer in Charge and Range Safety Officer for events.
  • Coordinate and provide event logistics support.

Cybersecurity Test & Evaluation (CST&E) Portfolio
The DAT’s CST&E team serve as their sponsor’s trusted agent to ensure full system cyber protection through cyber engineering support and cooperative vulnerability and penetration assessments.

Cybersecurity Engineering Support

  • Support cybersecurity engineering in all phases of the system life cycle.
 

Penetration Testing

  • Simulate real-world cyber-attacks to identify methods for circumventing security features of an application, system, or network.
  • Identify and address cyber risks through a comprehensive Risk Management Framework.
  • Provide cyber resilience roadmaps to sponsors for enhanced cyber security, Authority to Operate and reduced system vulnerabilities.

Risk and Vulnerability Assessments

  • Conduct vulnerability assessments in support of system validation IAW federal law, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Defense, and service level policy.
  • Facilitate cybersecurity crisis TTX.
 

Cybersecurity Workforce Qualifications and Expertise

  • U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps certified Security Control Validators.
  • Certified Ethical Hackers.
  • Information Assurance Technician Level II/III.
  • Information Assurance Manager Level II/III.
  • Information Assurance System Architect Engineer Level II/III.