WEST FORT HOOD, Texas - A Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Army Test and Evaluation Command’s (ATEC) Technology Integration Center (ATIC) Laboratory will take place in the U.S. Army Operational Test Command’s (USAOTC) footprint here Thursday at 3 p.m.

The new lab will bring together testers, engineers, analysts and technicians to support test planning, technology selection, and preparation for operational testing.

Designed to be reconfigurable for a wide variety of uses, it will be able to hold up to 150 people who will be looking at the best ways to design operational tests using the latest technology and methods.

The new ATIC laboratory will allow USAOTC to reduce common problems of the past with training, experimentation and transferring data between users who need it.

Construction of the $4.6 million facility should be complete January 2019.

Media wanting to cover the event should contact the USAOTC Public Affairs Office, at (254) 288-9110, or email: [email protected], no later than Noon Thursday. A public affairs escort will meet the media at the West Fort Hood Clarke Road gate at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

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About USAOTC:

The U.S. Army Operational Test Command plans and conducts independent operational testing and experiments in order to provide essential information for the decision-making process. The USAOTC supports the Army material acquisition and force development processes by managing the user testing program and conducting operational testing to support continuous comprehensive evaluation and force development. For more information on the USAOTC, please visit www.otc.army.mil.