ADAPTING EXPERIMENTATION AND TESTING


D I G I TA L MODULARITY


Architecting for adaptability with the Army. by Jennifer A. Swanson


In 1798, newly independent Americans faced the threat of war with France, at that time a formidable military power. Te U.S. needed to quickly re-arm, so the Army signed a contract with Eli Whitney for 10,000 muskets. But this was not just an order for muskets. It called for a new, modular-style technology: interchangeable parts.


Before this, each Army musket was handmade and essentially unique. When muskets of that era broke or were damaged, they were usually discarded and replaced because repairs were too complicated. Standardized interchangeable parts reduced the cost of buying, repairing and sustaining military equipment and made mass-production possible. Te Army was quick to adopt this technology. It mandated that the arsenals in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) and Springfield, Massachusetts, adopt precise and standardized production methods. Tat mandate led to the first mass-produced musket with interchangeable parts, the M1842.


More recently, the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) has built upon this history by encouraging the design and development of systems with highly interop- erable and reusable components. With this approach, the government owns the key system interfaces that allow vendors to build physical modules that are swappable on the intended platform. Tis makes it easier, faster and less expensive to develop new systems, add capabilities, upgrade older systems and maintain current ones. Most impor- tantly, this approach enables the Army to replace products easily and cost-effectively as new technology becomes available, ensuring our Soldiers always get the most cutting- edge capabilities.


Today, efficiency in hardware development remains important, but the pace of devel- opment in the software world has grown exponentially. To maintain overmatch in peer competition, the Army must adapt to the unprecedented explosion of software and


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