diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/MissionTestPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/MissionTestPage.tsx
index 8803de3..d07b258 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/MissionTestPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/MissionTestPage.tsx
@@ -77,27 +77,22 @@ function formatRelative(iso: string | null | undefined): string {
 }
 
 /**
- * Convert a UTC ISO datetime to the wall-clock `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM` string that
- * `<input type="datetime-local">` expects (and displays) in the operator's
- * timezone. The naive `new Date(iso).toISOString().slice(0, 16)` shortcut
- * round-trips through UTC and silently shifts the time by the local offset
- * every time the user types, making the hour un-editable in any non-UTC TZ.
+ * Datetime helpers — zero timezone interpretation. The user types a
+ * wall-clock value, the server stores it verbatim, and we display it back
+ * unchanged. We never go through `new Date(...).toISOString()` because that
+ * would shift the value by the browser's local offset on every render.
  */
-function isoToLocalInputValue(iso: string | null | undefined): string {
+function isoToInputValue(iso: string | null | undefined): string {
+  // `2026-05-15T10:30:00+00:00` → `2026-05-15T10:30`.
   if (!iso) return '';
-  const d = new Date(iso);
-  if (Number.isNaN(d.getTime())) return '';
-  const pad = (n: number) => String(n).padStart(2, '0');
-  return `${d.getFullYear()}-${pad(d.getMonth() + 1)}-${pad(d.getDate())}T${pad(d.getHours())}:${pad(d.getMinutes())}`;
+  return iso.slice(0, 16);
 }
 
-/** Parse a `datetime-local` input value (already in wall-clock local time)
- * back into a UTC ISO string. Returns null if the input is empty/invalid. */
-function localInputValueToIso(local: string): string | null {
+function inputValueToIso(local: string): string | null {
+  // `2026-05-15T10:30` → `2026-05-15T10:30:00Z`. The `Z` makes the ISO
+  // unambiguous for the backend without applying any local-time shift.
   if (!local) return null;
-  const d = new Date(local);
-  if (Number.isNaN(d.getTime())) return null;
-  return d.toISOString();
+  return `${local}:00Z`;
 }
 
 function useMissionTest(missionId: string, testId: string) {
@@ -180,34 +175,27 @@ function RedZone({ test, missionId, canWriteRed }: RedZoneProps) {
   const [command, setCommand] = useState(test.red_command ?? '');
   const [output, setOutput] = useState(test.red_output ?? '');
   const [comment, setComment] = useState(test.red_comment_md ?? '');
-  const [override, setOverride] = useState(test.executed_at_overridden);
-  // `executedAtLocal` is the raw `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM` string the datetime-local
-  // input speaks; we only convert to/from UTC ISO at the boundaries
-  // (initial sync + submit). Doing the round-trip on every keystroke shifted
-  // the hour by the local TZ offset and made the time field uneditable in
-  // any non-UTC zone (cf. tasks/lessons.md M7 fix).
-  const [executedAtLocal, setExecutedAtLocal] = useState(
-    isoToLocalInputValue(test.executed_at),
+  // `executedAtInput` is the raw `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM` string the datetime-local
+  // input speaks — stored verbatim, displayed verbatim, no TZ shift on either
+  // side. Conversion only happens at submit (append `:00Z`).
+  const [executedAtInput, setExecutedAtInput] = useState(
+    isoToInputValue(test.executed_at),
   );
+  const executedAtServer = isoToInputValue(test.executed_at);
   const dirty =
     command !== (test.red_command ?? '') ||
     output !== (test.red_output ?? '') ||
     comment !== (test.red_comment_md ?? '') ||
-    override !== test.executed_at_overridden ||
-    (override &&
-      executedAtLocal !== isoToLocalInputValue(test.executed_at));
+    executedAtInput !== executedAtServer;
 
   // Sync local state only when the *identity* of the test changes (route
   // change). Polling refetches return a new object reference for the same
   // test_id; resetting on those would wipe whatever the user is mid-typing.
-  // Successful saves push the new test through `setQueryData`, which is fine
-  // — the saved fields already match local state.
   useEffect(() => {
     setCommand(test.red_command ?? '');
     setOutput(test.red_output ?? '');
     setComment(test.red_comment_md ?? '');
-    setOverride(test.executed_at_overridden);
-    setExecutedAtLocal(isoToLocalInputValue(test.executed_at));
+    setExecutedAtInput(isoToInputValue(test.executed_at));
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [test.id]);
 
@@ -229,17 +217,18 @@ function RedZone({ test, missionId, canWriteRed }: RedZoneProps) {
       red_output: output.length === 0 ? null : output,
       red_comment_md: comment.trim() || null,
     };
-    if (override !== test.executed_at_overridden) {
-      body.executed_at_overridden = override;
-    }
-    if (override) {
-      body.executed_at = localInputValueToIso(executedAtLocal);
+    // Any change to the executed_at field is implicitly a manual override —
+    // the operator wouldn't have touched it otherwise. The override flag is
+    // a backend-side bookkeeping detail and never surfaced in the UI.
+    if (executedAtInput !== executedAtServer) {
+      body.executed_at = inputValueToIso(executedAtInput);
+      body.executed_at_overridden = executedAtInput !== '';
     }
     save.mutate(body);
   }
 
   const apiErr = save.error instanceof ApiError ? save.error : null;
-  const canOverride =
+  const canEditExecutedAt =
     canWriteRed && (test.state === 'executed' || test.state === 'reviewed_by_blue');
 
   return (
@@ -248,58 +237,20 @@ function RedZone({ test, missionId, canWriteRed }: RedZoneProps) {
       {apiErr && <Alert accent="red">{apiErr.message}</Alert>}
 
       {/* The execution timestamp anchors the blue team's log correlation,
-          so it leads the form (cf. user feedback 2026-05-15). */}
+          so it leads the form (cf. user feedback 2026-05-15). What the user
+          types is what gets stored — no timezone interpretation. */}
       <div data-testid="red-executed-block">
-        <span className="block font-mono text-3xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider2 text-text-dim">
+        <label className="block font-mono text-3xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider2 text-text-dim">
           Executed at
-        </span>
-        <p
-          className="mt-1 font-mono text-xs text-text-bright"
-          data-testid="red-executed-current"
-        >
-          {test.executed_at ? (
-            <>
-              <code>{test.executed_at}</code>
-              {test.executed_at_overridden && (
-                <span className="ml-2 text-text-dim">· overridden</span>
-              )}
-            </>
-          ) : (
-            <span className="text-text-dim">
-              Not yet executed — use the "→ Executed" transition above to stamp.
-            </span>
-          )}
-        </p>
-        <label className="mt-2 flex items-center gap-2 font-mono text-2xs text-text-dim">
-          <input
-            type="checkbox"
-            checked={override}
-            onChange={(e) => setOverride(e.target.checked)}
-            disabled={!canOverride}
-            data-testid="red-executed-override"
-          />
-          Override timestamp
-          {!canOverride && (
-            <span className="text-text-dim/60">
-              (mark the test executed first)
-            </span>
-          )}
         </label>
-        {override && (
-          <div className="mt-2 flex flex-col gap-1">
-            <input
-              type="datetime-local"
-              value={executedAtLocal}
-              onChange={(e) => setExecutedAtLocal(e.target.value)}
-              disabled={!canOverride}
-              className="rounded-md border border-border bg-bg-card px-2 py-1 font-mono text-xs text-text"
-              data-testid="red-executed-at"
-            />
-            <span className="font-mono text-3xs text-text-dim">
-              Browser local time — server stores the UTC equivalent.
-            </span>
-          </div>
-        )}
+        <input
+          type="datetime-local"
+          value={executedAtInput}
+          onChange={(e) => setExecutedAtInput(e.target.value)}
+          disabled={!canEditExecutedAt}
+          className="mt-1 w-full rounded-md border border-border bg-bg-card px-3 py-2 font-mono text-xs text-text-bright"
+          data-testid="red-executed-at"
+        />
       </div>
 
       <TextField