Test Measurement and Diagnostic Evaluation (TMDE) Initiative – Phase I

NCMS Project #: 140731

Problem: Maintenance and sustainment support efforts in commercial industries are heavily reliant on Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE). This maintenance and sustainment support is performed by specialized technicians and mechanics across the public sector and within DoD. A combination of tools and test equipment are used and collectively these tool and test equipment are classified into six categories:  General Purpose Electronic Test Equipment, General Purpose Mechanical Test Equipment, Tool Sets & Kits, Automated Test Systems, Application Program Sets, and Calibration Systems. Given the breadth of TMDE within industry and military alike, there are many opportunities for improvements as well as identifications of gaps and overlaps.

Benefit: When widely adopted, DoD stands to benefit from clear TMDE requirements development through a reduced maintenance burden that improves equipment availability. This will ultimately translate into supply, maintenance management and maintenance touch labor reductions. This will not only ease the burden of impending reductions in USMC/DoD end strength, but also reduce the required number of spares and consumable parts needed especially for deployed units.

Solution/Approach: TMDE is used through the Services to assist in the setup, monitoring, testing, troubleshooting, alignment, repair and rebuild of weapons systems. As the quantity and complexity of DoD weapon systems increase so too do the requirements for the TMDE used to support it. The initiative will define an effective TDME for industry and the military through a Marine Corps demonstration project to identify gaps, vulnerabilities, assess alternatives for improvement, and to validate requirements for an effective enterprise-wide TMDE.

Impact on Warfighter:

  • Defined requirements
  • Improved lifecycle operations and management
  • Reduced maintenance burden
  • Cost reductions

DOD Participation:

  • U.S. Marine Corps, Capabilities Development and Integration
  • U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (TMDE)
  • U.S. Marine Corps, Installations & Logistics

Industry Participation:

  • Whitney, Bradley and Brown, Inc.
  • PORTAC Consulting, LLC
  • NCMS

Benefit Area(s):

  • Cost savings
  • Repair turn-around time
  • Obsolescence management and continued maintenance capability
  • Improved readiness

Focus Area:

  • CBM+

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