 is some of our ranger troops in a simulated combat situation. These young men can certainly be counted among our nation's finest, and they deserve the best we can provide in the way of realistic training. I'm Victor Jory. We're at the Army's Florida Ranger Camp, where the last phase of ranger training is conducted. I've just been talking with the Captain George Utter here, he's an instructor. Captain is preparing to accompany a platoon of rangers on a combat operation, which will be led by potential rangers here in the densely vegetated swamps of northwest Florida. And my purpose in coming here is to get a layman's insight into the specialized Army training and to determine the soldier's opinion and reaction to the effectiveness of their equipment and weapons. It appears to me that one of the major factors contributing to the high morale of our fighting men, not only in Southeast Asia, but throughout the world, is the confidence they have developed in their weapons and equipment. Would you agree with that, Captain Utter? Yes, Mr. Jory, I certainly do. I think all commanders and soldiers are aware of the capabilities and effectiveness of their weapons and equipment. Here at the Florida Ranger Camp, potential platoon leaders, toon sergeants and squad leaders are given an initial awareness of the capabilities of their weapons. The confidence in their equipment, developed as a result of training, is a valuable asset in combat. Well, as you explained, Captain Utter, this confidence is not something that just happens. This confidence has been taught the soldier the wrong training in his use of his weapons and his equipment. It has slowly grown with the realization that they do work, and he expects them to, and that they do the job they are supposed to do. That confidence, backed by his equipment, as you say, makes the American soldier paramount in the world today. There is a reason why the equipment our soldiers take to the field warrants such confidence. Let us show you more, Mr. Jory, surely. I was showing more, a lot more. I was thoroughly briefed on how the Army assures that weapons and equipment will be worthy of the soldier. Now, gentlemen, to summarize, the test and evaluation command known as TCOM is composed of 15 different subordinate elements at locations from Alaska to Panama. It is a major member of the Army's research and development team with responsibility for checking and double checking new material developed for field use. And now before closing, I'd like to express our deep appreciation to an old friend of the Army for the job that he is doing for us. Mr. Victor Jory. Now, while I visit the TCOM activities, it occurred to me that perhaps at some time in our past history, the performance of weapons and equipment was left to chance or to a supplier's guarantee. But not today. After all, who's going to give the soldier a refund if his weapon jams at a crucial moment? The Army must make certain that the equipment sent to the field is capable without question of doing the job for which it was designed. That is the assignment of TCOM. It is obvious that the best way to make sure equipment will perform as it was designed to do is to test it under rigorous conditions as nearly like actual combat as possible. And because the U.S. Army is a worldwide Army, TCOM tests in all environments of the world and reproduces the conditions and actions of combat in what are called service tests. Can you imagine, for instance, the tragic ending to an operation like this in real combat if these guns and equipment failed? What would happen to our soldier's confidence if any one incident such as this should occur because of inadequate or improper testing? The fact is that faulty, ineffective equipment that does not answer the needs of the soldier can only mean disaster and defeat. To ensure as much as possible against such a catastrophe, every piece of equipment, every weapon, everything the soldier uses is put through a series of exhaustive tests of many kinds before an item becomes part of the Army inventory. It is interesting to note the testing which TCOM does begins almost with the conception of an item. Engineer-designed tests may be performed on components or on the early prototype of a newly conceived weapon. For example, the test reports rendered by TCOM will evaluate how the weapon conforms to design specification, what points of failure it might develop under stress, and in some cases, necessary design changes. Thus, before an item even reaches the production stage, TCOM has had a hand in its development. Engineering tests of the final R&D prototype, such as these being conducted, determine the technical performance and safety characteristic of the item under controlled conditions, eliminating errors in human judgment to the greatest degree possible. Laboratory instrumentation provides the precise evidence of what an item is and does. Such tests also check manufacturing to see that design specifications have been followed, to see that safety standards are met. A rifle that could rupture because of a malfunction must be redesigned or re-engineered. Testing calls for scientific measurements by men who are not the ultimate users of the equipment, but they must be satisfied that the equipment meets engineering standards of performance and safety before service tests are begun. These tests, too, are rigorous. The nature of the fighting and the terrain in Southeast Asia puts more demands on men and materiel than ever before experienced. No testing program has yet been evolved that will offer the results that can be obtained by putting a piece of equipment into the hands of the men who will use it. If there is anything wrong with an item that has not been discovered in the engineering testing stages, the soldier in the field will find it. So, before it became one of the most popular and valuable vehicles in use in Southeast Asia, the M113 was shipped to the armor and engineer board at Fort Knox for service testing. Board test personnel were representative of army-wide users, many being combat veterans who understood the need for this item. Because the army must be prepared to fight in many places at a moment's notice, tests of many types of weapons and equipment are not conclusive until they include actual extreme environmental tests. At Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the M113 was put through the choking, grinding grit of desert sand and dust, pushed to its limit to make sure it would not fail under such conditions in some remote corner of the world. Interestingly, one of the most severe conditions encountered in Vietnam is the thick dust environment which prevails much of the year. Not so very far from Yuma, across the arid lands of the Southwest, the nation's only landlocked missile range is operated by the Test and Evaluation Command at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Here are the army tests weapons to keep pace with the onrushing technology of modern missilery. At White Sands, TECOM provides range support for tests of Navy missiles, for Proving Air Force Systems, for development of NASA space equipment and for test operations of other government agencies. While at White Sands, I felt fortunate to witness a lance missile firing. Mr. Joy, this lance missile we see here is an army surface-to-surface missile being prepared for flight test. I've heard Colonel, this missile is built for low cost and high accuracy. Yes, it is. And to obtain this accuracy, a modern version of an old artillery technique is employed. The guidance and propulsion system launches the missile through a simulated mile-long gun barrel. A few days later, we were out at the launch site to see the lance fired. This is Operation Gulf Bravo. At my mark, time will be running at T minus 30 seconds. Mark, T minus 30 seconds and running on Operation Gulf Bravo. Minus 2-5. Minus 20. 19. 18. 17. 16. 15. 14. 13. 12. 11. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Fire. Personnel of T-COM's Air Defense Board at Fort Bliss, Texas, test the Chaparral Air Defense System. The board is primarily responsible for service testing of air defense weapons and related equipment. Here, the Red Eye, a weapon of particular interest to the foot soldier, is tested by Air Defense Board personnel. And to bolster a soldier's confidence, Red Eye is it. With this missile, one man can down an enemy aircraft. Red Eye gives the frontline soldier an air defense capability previously restricted to such larger systems as the Hawk. Every phase of the Hawk's development, evaluation, and initial production was monitored or tested by T-COM. Poised and deadly, the Hawk is on the defense line in southeast Asia today. But before this potent missile was accepted, it was put through the full series of tests by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. Behind all these tests of missiles are the complicated communications, instrumentation, data gathering, and data reduction facilities monitored by the units of T-COM. And T-COM facilities are so complete that they are used in cooperation with allied nations when necessary to help strengthen the forces of liberty throughout the world. But my interest on this tour is primarily the individual soldier. And he is concerned with how his platoon radio works, perhaps much more than how a missile will fire. But he must have the confidence that lets him concentrate on how to fight without worrying about weapons and equipment. And here again, the soldier's warranty that his radio set will work was written in T-COM by engineers, technicians, and soldiers who put it through months of exhaustive testing before it was declared to be satisfactory, and type classified by the Army staff. Type classification means that an item meets an immediate need of the Army and is considered sufficiently well advanced in its development to warrant inclusion in the Army inventory. All kinds of weapons used by the individual soldier are service tested by the infantry board at Fort Benning. For instance, here a grenade launcher, adapted to the M16 rifle, undergoes service testing. The launcher weighs only three pounds, but will hurl a grenade well over 400 yards. A noise suppressor for the M16 rifle is put through its paces. Besides substantially reducing firing noise, the suppressor cuts down on muzzle flash and smoke level to the extent that the rifleman's position cannot easily be detected by the enemy. A night vision device is tested to determine its effectiveness. The device intensifies available light, say from the moon or stars, so that distant objects appear as images within the scope. On the blackest night, the device can be used to aim both small arms and larger weapons. The lowering device here being used by Ranger troops was tested by the infantry board. The device can lower personnel and cargo into areas where helicopters cannot or should not land. The supporting aircraft can hover as high as 150 feet, and lower or load as rapidly as 15 feet per second. Besides weapons and equipment, the infantry board tests and evaluates new methods of testing. The soldier and his weapon are considered as a single unit, reacting to controlled test conditions. For instance, this man is part of a 60-man team engaged in testing the effectiveness of a new automated quick reaction small arms range. The soldier under test has been told to act as if he were a pointer flanked security man for a moving column in pursuit of a retreating enemy force. Note that the soldier does not take aim. Instead, he uses the quick kill method pointing the weapon instinctively. To assure that targets are presented to all test subjects from the same vantage point, hidden photoelectric cells initiate triggering signals. At a nearby control van, a variety of test information is recorded. For instance, the number of rounds fired, number of hits and near misses, along with the time each test event occurs. These tests are designed to answer many questions. For instance, what are the factors in this test situation that must be measured to evaluate the effectiveness of the soldier and his weapon? How can such factors best be measured and analyzed? In short, what is required to establish a standard quick reaction test to evaluate the man and his gun in a realistically simulated combat situation? TCOM's responsibility does not end with acceptance of an item. When manufacture begins, TCOM tests production-run samples to ensure that quality is maintained. And on items such as these 175-millimeter gun barrels, everyone is test-fired to make sure it is acceptable. Partically, a barrel is pulled from the production line and fired to extremes, then carefully checked to ensure that it stands up to specifications. Maintenance of quality and product improvement are of continuous concern to the Army. So periodic testing is conducted during the usable life of the material. Here is a facet of TCOM's operation not so well known. The Field Artillery Board and Jefferson Proving Ground conducted a feasibility test of an air-mobile firing platform for the 105-millimeter lightweight howitzer. This is typical of certain tests instituted on an expedited basis to provide required material immediately to the active theater in Southeast Asia. Due to the lack of firm terrain and an adequate road network, the rapid deployment of artillery has become a definite problem. The air-mobile firing platform is a solution. It is intended to provide a quickly deployed base for moving artillery into presently inaccessible rice paddy terrain. As you can see, the successful use of the firing platform depends on the workhorse of combat operations, the Chinook helicopter. These machines have proved themselves invaluable in the peculiar conditions of operations in Southeast Asia. They have helped write a new page in Army history in accomplishing rapid movement of men and supplies, speedy evacuation, and even rescue under fire. Before the Chinook was trusted in combat, it met and passed months of exhaustive tests by TCOM. Its engine, controls, materials, engineering design, every facet was analyzed under controlled conditions in service tests. Logistic evaluation was then made before it was recommended for use by the Army. Today, two newer helicopters which successfully completed service tests are being employed in combat. The Cobra is one of them. This armed helicopter is still undergoing tests at TCOM, even though rushed into service to upgrade our capabilities over previously available equipment. During tactical operations, the versatile Huey can lay a smoke screen to hide our movements from enemy view. But weapons and vehicles are not the only requirements of the soldier. His personal equipment and welfare are equally vital. For instance, new field rations are continuously being developed to make the soldier's food not only more nourishing, but also more palatable. At Fort Lee, Virginia, besides food, the general equipment test activity tests everything the soldier will use personally. Clothing, tents, gas masks, and a host of other personal items guaranteeing his well-being. For instance, these men are about to move into the jungle below. Infested as it is with insects, they must protect themselves with a repellent that has been thoroughly tested and accepted for general use. Confidence. What confidence these men must have. That is why every item they carry must be tested and tested again. All the efficient modern weapons of space-age technology would be valueless without the one final element needed to use them, the individual soldier doing his job with understanding and confidence. As Captain George Utter here and the commanders of TCOM's test activities have told me, there's only one reason for the existence of TCOM. That's the test and the evaluation of equipment and weaponry to ensure as far as is humanly possible that the military needs of the soldier in the field are taken care of. In an era when trouble can break out quickly in any sector of the world, in a time when a strong defensive force is needed to preserve the sometimes shaky peace, the United States Army must be prepared to deploy rapidly troops and equipment to carry out the assigned mission. This would be impossible without the confidence of the soldier in his weapons and in his material. Captain Utter, I want to thank you for your help and I want to thank you also, sir, for your assistance and your explanations. It's been my pleasure, sir. Thank you.