**GAO-03-451**                      Published: Mar 31, 2003. Publicly Released: Apr 11, 2003.                  

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## Highlights

The services have billions of dollars worth of outdated and obsolete automatic test equipment (ATE) used to test components on military aircraft or weapon systems. Department of Defense (DOD) policy advocates the development and acquisition of test equipment that can be used on multiple types of weapon systems and aircraft and used interchangeably between the services. At the request of the Subcommittee's Chairman, GAO examined the problems that the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps are facing with this aging equipment and their efforts to  comply with DOD policy.

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## Topics

National Defense

Defense procurementMilitary forcesTest equipmentWeapons systemsMilitary aircraftU.S. NavyAircraft acquisition programU.S. Air ForceSpare partsWeapon systems