The Evolving Landscape of Military Testing and Evaluation

The global security environment is in constant flux, necessitating that military forces adapt and innovate at an unprecedented pace. At the heart of this adaptation lies military testing and evaluation (T&E), a critical process that ensures new technologies, strategies, and systems are effective, reliable, and ready for the complexities of modern warfare. As of August 2025, the T&E landscape is characterized by rapid technological advancements, a growing emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, and a drive for greater agility and efficiency in the acquisition process.

Key Trends Shaping Military Testing and Evaluation

Several overarching trends are defining the current and future direction of military T&E:

1. Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

AI and ML are no longer futuristic concepts but are actively being integrated into military operations and, consequently, into T&E processes. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has significantly increased its investment in AI and ML initiatives, allocating USD 1.8 billion for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. This integration presents both opportunities and challenges for T&E. New frameworks are being developed to test and evaluate AI-enabled systems, ensuring their safety, reliability, and ethical deployment. For instance, Scale AI is working with the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to create a comprehensive T&E framework for generative AI, aiming to measure model performance and provide real-time feedback. The Army’s #BreakAI initiative is specifically geared towards testing algorithms through traditional T&E processes to ensure operability and error-free performance before deployment.

2. Advancements in Hypersonic Systems

The development and testing of hypersonic weapons continue to be a major focus for global military powers. Hypersonic systems, capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, present unique T&E challenges due to their speed and maneuverability, making them difficult to track and intercept. The U.S. Army, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, has been actively testing its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), also known as “Dark Eagle.” Successful end-to-end flight tests were conducted in May 2024 and December 2024, with the Army planning to field its first LRHW battery by the end of fiscal year 2025. These tests are crucial for validating the system’s performance and ensuring its readiness for operational deployment, highlighting the need for advanced T&E methodologies to keep pace with these cutting-edge weapon systems.

3. Proliferation of Unmanned Systems and Robotics

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), and other autonomous systems are rapidly transforming military capabilities. T&E for these systems focuses on their autonomy, swarm capabilities, and integration into broader operational concepts. The U.S. Army’s unmanned aerial systems summit, for example, provides a venue for vendors to showcase and test their ordnance, allowing soldiers to provide direct feedback and accelerating the acquisition process. NATO’s “Dynamic Messenger 25” exercise is specifically designed to test and exercise the use of Maritime Unmanned Systems (MUS). The Marine Corps’ adoption of the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie drone as a program of record signifies a move towards fielding advanced autonomous capabilities, with T&E focusing on its targeting data provision and electronic warfare capabilities.

4. Emphasis on Cyber Warfare and Electronic Warfare (EW)

The increasing sophistication of cyber threats and the critical role of electronic warfare necessitate robust T&E in these domains. NATO’s “Cyber Coalition 25” is an annual collective cyber defense exercise, one of the largest globally, designed to test and enhance cyber defense capabilities. Similarly, exercises like “Dynamic Guard II” focus on maintaining proficiency in Electronic Warfare (EW) and Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD). The growing threat of cyber-warfare is a significant trend, driving the need for continuous testing and validation of defensive and offensive cyber capabilities.

5. Modernization of Simulation and Virtual Training

The military simulation and training market is experiencing significant growth, driven by advancements in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and AI. These technologies offer cost-effective, safe, and immersive training solutions that enhance readiness and operational effectiveness. The military is moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach towards competency-driven, data-informed training environments, utilizing AI-enabled coaching and biometric performance tracking. The U.S. Army’s Network Modernization Experimentation (NetModX) incorporates a broad spectrum of expertise to assess technologies in operationally realistic environments, supporting the Army’s agile and adaptive command and control architecture.

Challenges and Opportunities in Test and Evaluation

The evolving nature of warfare and technology presents several challenges and opportunities for military T&E:

Clarity, Pace, and Credibility

According to QinetiQ, future T&E challenges in defense are centered around three key themes: clarity, pace, and credibility. Clarity involves understanding future T&E requirements, pace refers to the speed at which T&E capabilities are developed and utilized, and credibility ensures user confidence in the methods and results. The current pace of bringing military capabilities into service is a significant challenge, with a recognized need to deliver capabilities more quickly to the front lines and incrementally enhance them.

Agile Acquisition and Digital Transformation

There is a strong push to reform defense acquisition processes to be more agile and responsive to technological advancements. The traditional, linear acquisition process is often too slow to keep pace with commercial technology development. Reforms are focusing on embracing digital transformation, open systems, and agile software development principles. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is exploring the establishment of a dedicated T&E cell to accelerate the transition of innovative technologies to military units, addressing challenges related to testing infrastructure and the lengthy validation process. The U.S. government’s acquisition landscape is undergoing a transformation, emphasizing agility and efficiency, with a directive to reform the DoD acquisition process to eliminate inefficiencies and prioritize commercial solutions.

The Role of Synthetic Environments

Synthetic environments, or digital twins, are increasingly being used to test and evaluate systems more quickly, across a wider range of operational conditions, and at a lower cost than physical testing. Striking a balance between physical and digital T&E is becoming increasingly important, as synthetic environments cannot yet meet all testing criteria.

AI-Specific T&E Challenges

AI introduces substantial challenges to traditional T&E methodologies. The unique characteristics of AI-enabled systems require tailored approaches that diverge from established practices. The Pentagon is working to develop frameworks for testing generative AI, recognizing the need for continuous updating and adaptation of AI systems to remain effective against evolving threats.

Major Military Exercises and Testing Activities (2024-2025)

Several significant exercises and testing activities underscore the current focus areas in military T&E:

• NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24: This exercise, described as the largest since the Cold War, involved approximately 90,000 service members from 31 NATO allies and Sweden. It served as the first large-scale test of alliance defense plans approved at the Vilnius Summit, focusing on the alliance’s ability to rapidly deploy forces and reinforce the Euro-Atlantic area.
• U.S. Army Hypersonic Missile Testing: The U.S. Army and Navy have conducted multiple successful flight tests of their jointly developed hypersonic glide body and Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). These tests, including those in May 2024 and December 2024, are critical for the planned fielding of the LRHW by the end of fiscal year 2025.
• Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5): Scheduled for March 2025, this U.S. Army experiment is a key event for testing Next Gen Command and Control (NGC2) concepts, pushing more data and utilizing more realistic scenarios than previous experiments.
• NATO’s Cyber Coalition 25: This annual exercise is NATO’s flagship collective cyber defense event, testing and enhancing the alliance’s capabilities in cyberspace.
• NATO’s Dynamic Messenger 25: This exercise specifically tests and exercises the use of Maritime Unmanned Systems (MUS), including autonomous surface, underwater, and aerial vehicles.
• NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2025: Held in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, this exercise involves approximately 10,000 personnel from nine NATO member countries and focuses on testing the readiness and interoperability of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force.

The Future of Military Testing and Evaluation

The trajectory of military T&E points towards an increasingly integrated, data-driven, and agile approach. The continuous transformation of military capabilities, driven by rapid technological advancements, demands that T&E processes evolve in parallel. Key areas of focus for the future include:

• AI-Native T&E: Developing T&E methodologies specifically designed for AI systems, capable of handling continuous learning and adaptation.
• Digital T&E: Expanding the use of synthetic environments, digital twins, and advanced modeling and simulation to complement and, in some cases, replace physical testing.
• Human-Machine Teaming: Testing and evaluating the effectiveness of human-AI collaboration in complex operational environments.
• Agile Acquisition Integration: Tightly integrating T&E with agile acquisition pathways to accelerate the delivery of validated capabilities to the warfighter.
• Cyber and EW Resilience: Continuously testing and improving defenses against sophisticated cyber and electronic warfare threats.

As militaries worldwide navigate an increasingly complex and contested global landscape, the ability to effectively test and evaluate new technologies and strategies will remain paramount. The ongoing evolution of T&E processes is not merely about validating individual systems but about ensuring the overall readiness, adaptability, and technological superiority of armed forces in the face of emerging challenges.