The Pentagon’s drive to field new weapons faster risks outpacing the independent office meant to catch problems before those systems reach troops, according to a Government Accountability Office report released June 30. GAO based the findings on an audit it conducted from January through June 2026.
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) is the Pentagon’s independent authority on whether new weapons work as intended before reaching the field. In fiscal 2024, DOT&E received $10.6 million specifically to expand its oversight of programs using the Pentagon’s middle tier of acquisition (MTA) pathway, a streamlined process designed to field new capabilities faster by bypassing traditional acquisition steps.