Logistics Advancement Through Open Architecture Application - Flipbook - Page 7
3: Acquisition
Figure 4: Artist’s rendering of open architecture systems on an Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) guided missile destroyer.
(AOC Incorporated Image)
To achieve the full bene昀椀ts that OA can provide, it is essential that the DoD has the freedom of choice, freedom of action, and
freedom of access, to the system implementation and system technical artifacts. This is provided through appropriately contracted data rights. It is not necessary for DoD to have such rights to the entirety of a system, however and as discussed earlier in
this paper, high value functional areas should be identi昀椀ed and these should be contracted with appropriate data rights to allow
changes to be implemented without OEM dependency, or indeed for alternative solutions to be sought from suppliers that were
not in the initial system program.
Implementing an OA approach enables Program Managers to meet Title 10 requirements placed upon them, and to properly
consider their acquisition strategy. Program Managers of ACAT I and II programs are required by Section 2320(e) of Title 10,
United States Code (U.S.C.), to assess their Intellectual Property and Data Rights requirements and create a Technical Data
Management Strategy. This should be consistent with, and supported by, their Open Architecture Management Plan as required
by the Systems Engineering Guidebook, Of昀椀ce of the Deputy Director for Engineering ,Of昀椀ce of the Under Secretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering, February 2022.
OA practices of standardized functional and interface speci昀椀cation enable appropriate data rights to be contracted without sacri昀椀cing the integrity of competition or ownership of internal design that would be destructive to industry. A system architect is able to
standardize areas of the design such that a supplier is able to deliver a product that meets all the functional, behavioral, interface,
size, weight and power requirements, without sharing any of the details related to how their product is implemented – it is an externally standard-conformant black box. Having appropriate understanding of the overall design and use of open standards allows
for the Acquisition team to support the design through the full Acquisition lifecycle. Closed proprietary designs leads to future cost
increases associated with reverse Engineering if the OEM no longer supports the end item.
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