Integrating the Department of Defense Military Services' Technology Development Programs to Improve Time, Cost, and Technical Quality Parameters

摘要

Currently, the Air Force is developing the Space Radar (SR) system, the Navy the DD(X) 21st Century Destroyer, and the Army the Future Combat Systems (FCS). While technologies developed by the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) organizations affiliated with each military service often have pervasive utility among the services, the structures of these RDT&E organizations currently do not provide for or permit any substantial degree of synergistic teaming, integration, or technology leveraging. As a result, technology development for each of the SR, DD(X), and FCS programs has failed to achieve schedule efficiency, cost effectiveness, and technical proficiency. To enable a successful development of these systems in particular and to prevent DoD system acquisition programs from failing to achieve the aforementioned parameters, a leveraged technology development strategy is needed. This thesis examined the potential for inter-service technology development and identified opportunities to leverage the development of common, critical technologies across the three services within the DoD in general and across the SR, DD(X), and FCS programs in particular. The findings of this study show that through careful planning and coordinated technology transition, DoD acquisition programs can indeed leverage the technology development efforts of the three services within the DoD. The identified technology leveraging opportunities will enable significant cost savings and schedule efficiency to the Space Radar, DD(X), and Future Combat Systems programs and help ensure deployment of these critical defense capabilities.