THE USE OF MS VVA AS A RISK MITIGATION STRATEGY IN DEFENSE ACQUISITION

摘要

Risk can be defined as the potential realization of undesirable consequences from hazards arising from a possible event: risk is a factor in any kind of decision-making in which imperfect evidence is used to help make the decision. Models and simulations (M&S) have become an integral part of the systems acquisition process and they are used in every phase of system development (requirements development, design, production, test, etc.). As M&S are used more and more (especially in situations which could result in loss of human life or multimillion dollar equipment), it becomes more and more important to accumulate evidence that the M&S are actually doing what they are supposed to; these activities are required in order to reduce the risk of a wrong decision based on M&S outputs. It is this increasing reliance on M&S within the U.S. Department of Defense that warrants our attention to the use of M&S verification, validation and accreditation (VV&A) activities as a way to mitigate those risks.