WRT 1002: Approaches to Achieve Benefits of Modularity in Defense Acquisition – Part 2

Our efforts in WRT-1002 gathered the previous knowledge accumulated in RT-163 and RT-185 to conclude the investigation of how the DoD can support Program Managers in their development of systems that exploit modularity to enhance acquisitions and military capabilities. The work accounted for the guidelines and benefits associated with the implementation of a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) ecosystem and sought to build a useful tool to provide analysis and insight to support informed choices for assembling capable and robust systems architectures.

The WRT-1002 effort was executed with a multi-prong approach. Data collection continued, expanding the work from previous projects, both with literature review and participation in conferences and workshops. These events also provided opportunities for collaborative exchanges with subject matter experts from DoD, the military, and academia, which resulted in valuable feedback about the approach followed in this research project. In order to demonstrate the applicability of this approach to diverse problems, we developed a synthetic case study based on a multi-domain battle scenario. Finally, our work completed the development of a Decision Support Framework (DSF) which integrates tools for the analysis and optimization of capabilities and cost in acquisition applications, generation and analysis of alternatives, evaluation of risks, and considerations about potential benefits of the application of MOSA principles.