U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity

Welcome to the U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity (USAMTEAC). The USAMTEAC is located at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

The USAMTEAC mission is a unique one in that it is the sole independent operational test and evaluation agency for medical-related materiel and medical information management/information technology products. The USAMTEAC is charged with the mission of directly supporting the U.S. Army in the Department of Defense’s acquisition process. Residing on JBSA Fort Sam Houston, the base that serves as the Army’s bastion of medical excellence, the USAMTEAC is a small unit of approximately two dozen military and civilian personnel tasked with the mission of helping to ensure that medical personnel are equipped with suitable and effective equipment.

Perhaps some have pondered: “Who decided we need this?” or “Why did the Army purchase this?” and perhaps even “Who tested this in the first place to make sure it was what the Army needed for its medical personnel?” When it comes to the testing of medical materiel and medical IM/IT, the simple answer is the USAMTEAC. We provide assessments of emerging concepts, doctrine, and advanced technology applications as they are applied to the delivery of healthcare—both on the battlefield and in fixed facilities. USAMTEAC is responsible for ensuring the suitability, survivability, and effectiveness of medical materiel that is going to be used by the Army’s medics and medical personnel in the theater of operations. In some cases, particularly in information technology, the tested materiel will be used in the “brick-and-mortar facilities,” such as the hospitals that provide vital care for the military community.

The USAMTEAC is essentially an “end state” before the final decision in the acquisition process. During its evaluations, the USAMTEAC’s members provide the opportunity to see if “Yes–it really does make sense,” or “No–it really does not make sense.” The mission of the USAMTEAC is very important in that it is not merely statutory in nature, but it is a way to ensure that whenever the Army makes a medical materiel acquisition that the USAMTEAC is there to make sure that investment has been worthwhile. Perhaps equally important to the monetary effects of purchasing medical materiel for the Army’s medical personnel is ensuring that the medical materiel, ultimately, meets the medical personnel’s needs in providing care for Soldiers.

The USAMTEAC’s members strive to determine whether those products or components are ready, or capable, to meet their intended need and purpose for the Army’s providers, clinicians, and ancillary staff for treating wounded Soldiers down range. As a government service entity, being prudent in the use of tax dollars in the delivery of a good product for providing care for the Army’s wounded is an important aspect of the USAMTEAC’s mission.

About Us:

The U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity is responsible for the operational testing of medical materiel, medical-related materiel, and information technology systems.

Organization and Personnel:

The U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity continues to make substantial contributions in the independent operational test and evaluation of medical materiel and information management/information technology systems that are vital to supporting military operations at home and overseas. In October 2015, the USAMTEAC completed its operations setup on the 1st floor of a remodeled historic World War I era warehouse, Building 4011, located at 2377 Greeley Road, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. USAMTEAC moved from its previous position at the old post prison building, Building 369, 2599 Wilson Way, Fort Sam Houston, that had been the home building since 1963. USAMTEAC’s mission is unchanged, and it remains the conscience of medical acquisition. The USAMTEAC members are the U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity’s “Truth Seekers.” They base all reports and recommendations on the data that is gathered in an unbiased forum, from actual users, utilizing production representative samples of the product under study. The users perform tasks expected of them, and the product, under as close to actual mission conditions as possible.