Department of Defense news release (Feb. 8, 2005): DoD selects foreign defense equipment for testing.The Department of Defense has selected 18 new start projects to receive fiscal 2005 funding under the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT FCT Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (Portuguese University) FCT Fundamentals of Computation Theory FCT Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation) ) program. Authorized au·thor·ize tr.v. au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing, au·thor·iz·es 1. To grant authority or power to. 2. To give permission for; sanction: by Congress since 1980, the FCT Program is administered by the deputy under secretary of defense, advanced systems and concepts, office of the under secretary of defense, acquisition, technology and logistics. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The FCT Program demonstrates the value of using non-developmental items to reduce development costs and accelerate the acquisition process. The principal objective of the program is to support the U.S. warfighter by leveraging non-developmental items of allied and other friendly nations to satisfy U.S. defense requirements more quickly and economically. This is to increase U.S. capabilities in the war on terrorism Terrorist acts and the threat of Terrorism have occupied the various law enforcement agencies in the U.S. government for many years. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, as amended by the usa patriot act and improve interoperability The capability of two or more hardware devices or two or more software routines to work harmoniously together. For example, in an Ethernet network, display adapters, hubs, switches and routers from different vendors must conform to the Ethernet standard and interoperate with each other. with our allies. Given a first-rate foreign non-developmental item, U.S. user interest, a valid operational requirement, and good procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. potential, the FCT program fields world-class systems and equipment not otherwise available. At the same time, by promoting competition and eliminating unnecessary research, development, test, and evaluation expenses, the FCT program reduces total ownership costs of military systems while enhancing standardization standardization In industry, the development and application of standards that make it possible to manufacture a large volume of interchangeable parts. Standardization may focus on engineering standards, such as properties of materials, fits and tolerances, and drafting and interoperability with coalition allies, promoting international cooperation, and frequently serving as a catalyst for domestic industry partnering and U.S. industry overseas. Each year, the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command A subordinate unified or other joint command established by a joint force commander to plan, coordinate, conduct, and support joint special operations within the joint force commander's assigned operational area. Also called SOC. See also special operations. nominate candidate projects for FCT funding consideration. Each proposed project is screened to ensure the fully mature technology addresses valid requirements, to confirm a thorough market survey was conducted to identify all potential contenders, and to verify the U.S. military sponsor has developed a viable acquisition strategy to procure the foreign item if it tests successfully and offers best value. Of the 18 new start projects, four are sponsored by the Army, four by the Navy, five by the Marine Corps, and five by the U.S. Special Operations Command. Additional information is available on the FCT Web site: <http://www.acq.osd.mil/cto/>. |
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