Editorial – ITEA Journal – March 2026

I’ve always wanted to say “Welcome to another Bumper Edition” but as Figure One shows, despite continued growth in what we publish, the March Edition is never our big edition. Rather, this distinction belongs to our September Edition, where we publish papers each year from the Defense Aerospace Test and Analysis Workshop (DATAWorks).

Figure 1: ITEA Journal Word Counts by Quarter and Year showing Growth

This year’s DATAWorks is being held at the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA), Potomac Yard Location [https://dataworks.testscience.org/]. DATAWorks is officially a ‘multi-organization collaboration with the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), and the Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security (SDNS) of the American Statistical Association (ASA)’. The DATAWorks organisers have already appointed this year’s editors to coordinate review and publication: Dr Addison Adams from JMP statistical software [https://www.linkedin.com/in/addison-adams-phd-6b9353115/] and Associate Professor Justin Krometis from Virginia Tech’s National Security Institute [https://nationalsecurity.vt.edu/personnel-directory/krometis-justin.html].

If ITEA is to grow, we need the journal to continue to grow equally across the editions. Testing is not getting easier as digitisation, autonomy, and strategic competition advance. Hence, we have a vision to grow all our ITEA workshops and symposia to the DATAWorks standard, whereby the best ideas discussed are published as papers and presentations. We are amending our journal site to put those presentations that presenters want published from each event, released in each quarterly edition from the workshops held during that period. We will begin this June with the three events held in the coming months. Presenters will be given an opportunity to talk to their slides that are published (written or audio).

March ought to be the realisation of the best of the ITEA annual symposium and the organisers are critiqued on what flows through to our recorded literature rather than the somewhat ephemeral memories of those who attend. During the last decade, it has been de rigueur to lament the decline of paper writing and reading as a skill, where it all goes instead into PowerPoint. We are now entering an age driven by generational AI, where humans will rely on curated information from their ‘Co-Pilot’. Just as during the last decade, we came to rely on Google checks and Wikipedia, our Co-Pilots will scrape sites for words and images based on our prompting. I’m impressed by the attribution of CoPilot and those who use it. Hence, organisations like ITEA, similar to individual humans, will rely increasingly on their digital twin for relevance. I therefore believe original writing, particularly on the research and technology fronts of new ideas, will undergo a renaissance, whereby generative AI will scrape and feed that to anyone who needs it. Thus, the balance of influence will return somewhat from the “Who you meet with at Workshops?” to “What is written and available to scrape into GenAI feeds?”

My three-year tenure as Chief Editor is drawing to a close, and a new Chief is needed for 2027-2029. So far, most of the many excellent sub-editors who support me have all declined to step forward. These sub editors give generously of their volunteer time and will support whoever takes over, as will I to some extent. If you have some editing or publishing experience, big or small, and you are interested in the volunteer role, the nomination form is Appendix A. Please complete the nomination and forward it to journal @itea.org by 30 May for ITEA Board consideration.

Our first article by Tim Grabert and Kathi Swagerty documents the work of the Professional Development Committee updating the Certified Test and Evaluation Professional (CTEP) credential, creating a new entry‑level Associate T&E Professional (ATEP) pathway, and in running support courses where desired. A review identified the need for greater accessibility, modernised content aligned with emerging technologies, and a more flexible, affordable candidate experience reflecting contemporary expectations for online learning. The article details substantive improvements and initiatives now in effect, including exam content drawn directly from peer‑reviewed ITEA Journal articles, globally accessible online proctored testing, and streamlined application processes designed to reduce barriers to certification. The article concludes by calling for some member assistance in the Committee to help oversee the implementation.

Our first article is led by Dr William Fisher, who is the DTE&A Model-based Engineering Initiative Lead at The MITRE Corporation in Ft. Meade. His author team present a concept for Continuous Integration Test and Evaluation (CITE) leveraging digital engineering to support ‘iterative development and agile responses to evolving operational needs.’ This test-led, or test support, is something Mark Phillips and I tried to encapsulate last year in Figure Two below; however, I think William’s team give a better prose and argument, especially to the system of systems context. I particularly draw your attention to their informed challenges and risks.

Figure 2: Digital Engineering in Development and Throughlife (Phillips et al. 2025)

Our second technical article is led by Marc Berry of Missouri Science and Technology. Marc’s research continues a growing theme within the ITEA journal and test world, whereby the adventure of agile, beyond its software roots, has to be supported by continuous testing. Marc’s interviews and thematic analysis of practitioner’s perspectives concerning such ‘Agile V-Model’ approaches is important reading for anyone implementing such initiatives to speed up acquisition and fielding. Without spoiling the read, there are real positives and important roles for testing to keep the battle rhythm and focus.

Shelley Gray leads our third article documenting the history of instrumentation at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River. As someone who did important integration efforts there for three years, some 26 years ago, NAS Patuxent River is an international asset in sustaining freedom. This narrative traces decades of innovation and organisational changes, culminating in the recent, landmark transition to the Naval Test Wing Atlantic.

Our final technical article is led by Commander Ryan Agte on an alternative test strategy for building trust in autonomous systems. His most distinct contribution compared to research like Young et al. (2022) is presenting a repeatable methodology linking early‑phase autonomous safety assurance with practical acquisition decision‑making. Ryan fills a gap not addressed by existing TRL or readiness‑assessment frameworks (i.e., Kimmel et al. 2020) that typically do not provide actionable pathways for PMs to confidently adopt emerging autonomous safety technologies. Research into autonomous commercial systems like Chen et al. (2024), Xie et al. (2025), and Lu et al. (2025) consistently note that while technical safety frameworks are advancing rapidly, mechanisms for transitioning these technologies into real programs, especially under acquisition risk constraints, are underdeveloped.

Chen, S., Hu, X., Zhao, J., Wang, R., & Qiao, M. (2024). A Review of Decision-Making and Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Intersection Environments. World Electric Vehicle Journal, 15(3), 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj15030099

Kimmel, W. M., Beauchamp, P. M., Frerking, M. A., Kline, T. R., Vassigh, K. K., Willard, D. E., … & Trenkle, T. G. (2020). Technology readiness assessment best practices guide. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20205003605/downloads/%20SP-20205003605%20TRA%20BP%20Guide%20FINAL.pdf

Lu, D., Du, H., Wu, Z. et al. (2025). Risk assessment in autonomous driving: a comprehensive survey of risk sources, methodologies, and system architectures. Autonomous Intelligent Systems, 5(24), https://doi.org/10.1007/s43684-025-00112-1

Phillips M.; Joiner K. F.; Sáez A. F. & Astaburuaga M. F. (2025). System of Systems Test and Evaluation, in Salado Diez A (ed.), Systems of Systems Engineering, Cuadernos de Isdefe, Spain, pp. 133 – 152, https://www.isdefe.es/sites/default/files/Systems%20Engineering%20Applied%20to%20SoS%20Volume%202_IN-WEB.pdf

Xie, J.; Qin, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Chen, T.; Wang, B.; Zhang, Q. & Xia, Y. (2025). Towards human-like automated vehicles: review and perspectives on behavioural decision making and intelligent motion planning, Transportation Safety and Environment, 7(1), https://doi.org/10.1093/tse/tdae005

Young, S. D., Ancel, E., Dill, E. T., Moore, A., Quach, C. C., Smalling, K. M., & Ellis, K. K. (2022). Flight testing in-time safety assurance technologies for UAS operations. In AIAA Aviation 2022 Forum (p. 3458), https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220005559 .

ITEA Chief Editor Nomination Form

This form is limited to three pages. No attachments allowed; include URLs only.

1. Candidate Information

• Name:
• Current Position & Organisation:
• Email / Phone:
• ITEA Membership Status:

2. Professional Background (150 words max)

Provide a brief overview of T&E experience, research expertise, and any prior editorial or reviewing roles. Include relevant URL links to CV, profiles, or publications.

3. Alignment with ITEA Editorial Values (200 words max)

Address how you reflect the values identified by the ITEA Board: Independence, Timeliness, Scoped Approach, Planned, Representative, Statistically Designed, Modelled, Measured, Supportable. Include relevant URLs.

4. Vision for the ITEA Journal (150 words max)

Describe your vision for readership growth, contributor engagement, thematic development, and strategic direction. Include supporting URLs if relevant.

5. Ability to Work Across Time Zones and Stakeholders (100 words max)

Explain remote collaboration experience, time‑zone flexibility, and the ability to coordinate international contributors. Include URLs if relevant.

6. Contributions to the T&E Community

• Key publications (include URLs)
• Key mentoring and community engagement (include example URLs)
• Key involvement in ITEA activities (include example URLs)
• Key conference or symposium contributions (include example URLs)

7. Statement of Commitment

Provide a brief declaration confirming willingness to:

1) receive a handover at the Annual Symposium in Phoenix in November 2026,

2) serve at least 2027-28,

3) uphold editorial integrity, and

4) meet workload expectations.