The Department of Defense (DoD) has placed a growing emphasis in recent years onrnthe pursuit of agile capabilities via net-centric operations. In this setting, systems are increasinglyrnrequired to interoperate along several dimensions. Yet, the manner in which components of thesern“system-of-systems” are acquired (designed, developed, tested and fielded) has not kept pace withrnthe shifts in operational doctrine. Acquisition programs have struggled with complexities in bothrnprogram management and engineering design. This paper presents a classification of underlyingrncomplexities in the acquisition of system-of-systems and describes a conceptual model thatrnexposes the connectivity between systems, requirements, and externalities throughout thernacquisition lifecycle. Implementing this model in an exploratory computer simulation highlightsrnthe relationship between requirement dependencies, risk profiles of the project and managementrnparameters like span-of-control of SoS engineers and managers. The objective of the simulationrn(which remains under development) is to allow acquisition professionals to develop intuition forrnprocuring and deploying system-of-systems, providing a venue for experimentation to developrninsights that will underpin successful acquisition of SoS-oriented defense capabilities.
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