U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, often referred to just as a unit patch, was originally for the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Test and Experimentation Command on 24 January 1989. It was redesignated for the U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command on 20 November 1990 and was subsequently given its current designation for the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command on 1 October 1999.
The mission of the command to seek truth through experimentation and testing is represented by the tip of the triangle, or fulcrum, balancing a bar and the sun and thus serving as a scale, the ultimate impartial arbiter. In heraldry, a sun with rays emanating from it represents the never-ending search for enlightenment, knowledge, and high ideals. Yellow evokes the image of the precious metal gold, which here stands for “the worth of quality assurance of tested products.”
Related ItemsTest And Evaluation Command Unit Crest (DUI)A dark blue background alludes to both sky and outer space, a reminder of the possibilities opened up by new discoveries in the future. An upright upright red sword is an emblem evoking the image of the individual Soldier whose combat readiness has been made complete by the data and information products that flow from the organization. The white of the triangle and bar stands for the search for truth and the high quality of the products it approves for acquisition and distribution, a quest whose goal is summed up in the one-word organizational motto, “Truth.”
The Test and Evaluation Command was created on 1 October 1999 through the redesignation of the Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command. Today, its 9,000-plus military, civilian, and contracted employees serve as engineers, test officers, scientists, researchers, technicians, and evaluators that work on more than 1,100 tests every day on items ranging from individual weapon systems to National Missile Defense ground-based mid-course defense systems.