diff --git a/releng/CDT.setup b/releng/CDT.setup
index 6d23828d017..a79bbc7515b 100644
--- a/releng/CDT.setup
+++ b/releng/CDT.setup
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
     <setupTask
         xsi:type="setup.targlets:TargletTask"
         programArguments="-consolelog"
-        vmArguments="-Xms40m -Xmx512M -XX:MaxPermSize=256m">
+        vmArguments="-Xms40m -Xmx512M -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -ea">
       <targlet
           name="CDT"
           activeRepositoryList="${eclipse.target.platform}">
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e3.8.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e3.8.target
index 8e392de623d..1a5a6ba809b 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e3.8.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e3.8.target
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.2.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.2.target
index 871448d456c..bf5ada70257 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.2.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.2.target
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.3.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.3.target
index 902ee8fd1d7..7ba7fd5e356 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.3.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.3.target
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.4.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.4.target
index 4ebe155c86d..384917bcefa 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.4.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.4.target
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.5.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.5.target
index 735525f8f6f..c686a6167fd 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.5.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-e4.5.target
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>
diff --git a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-staging.target b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-staging.target
index 5087ae810c5..18ef298d250 100644
--- a/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-staging.target
+++ b/releng/org.eclipse.cdt.target/cdt-staging.target
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@
 <launcherArgs>
 <vmArgs>-Xms40m
 -Xmx512M
--XX:MaxPermSize=256m</vmArgs>
+-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
+-ea</vmArgs>
 <programArgs>-consolelog</programArgs>
 </launcherArgs>
 </target>