The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering (DASD(SE)) hosts the System of Systems Engineering Collaborators Information Exchange (SoSECIE) which is a web-based seminar series typically held once or twice a month from 11 am – Noon, Eastern Time. Members of the defense acquisition community from government, industry, and academia are invited to hear these free presentations on a wide range of relevant system of systems engineering topics.

The topic for the seminar on July 11, 2017  is “Battle Control System of Systems (SoS) Engineering Analysis” and will be presented by Dr. Aleksandra Markina Khusid, The MITRE Corporation.

Abstract: The U.S. Air Force Battle Control System (BCS) is an excellent example of a system of systems (SoS) in which a set of subsystems, each developed and managed independently, provides support to the airspace defense mission. Successful defense against air threats depends on the ability of the entire set of constituent systems to effectively work together. Users’ processes and interactions are closely integrated with the system component functionality.

This presentation documents a pathfinder effort to model the performance of user interactions as they conduct airspace defense mission management operations. The objective was to develop an SoS engineering analysis framework to measure the end-to-end system capability improvement or degradation when we make an architectural change (e.g., add a new sensor). The project was completed in collaboration with the BCS Program Office.

A single representative airspace defense mission thread was modeled using a scenario with notional system performance data. Measures of effectiveness were defined, and modeling methods were employed to show how potential system upgrades could provide operational mission benefits. System interactions, operational decisions and behaviors were captured in a Unified Modeling Language model using Rhapsody®. Vehicle flight paths engagements and sensor capabilities were represented in the Advanced Datalink Simulation. The presentation describes the model scenario including the motivations and results of the analysis.

Biography: Dr. Aleksandra Markina-Khusid is a Lead Systems Engineer in the MITRE Corporation Systems Engineering Technical Center, supporting several SoS modeling efforts for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. She holds Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science in Engineering & Management, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The goal of this series, held in association with the National Defense Industrial Association’s SoS Engineering Committee, is to provide guidance, education, and training for SoS and dissemination of engineering best practices. Contact the SoSECIE Webinar Coordinator to be added to the email list for future announcements, to obtain access instructions or to make suggestions for future presentation topics.

Please visit the System of Systems Engineering Collaborators Information Exchange (SoSECIE) webpage for more information and presentation archives following the event.