Initiatives

International Cooperation

NATO AC/327, Life Cycle Management
In 2003, the NATO Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) consolidated four CNAD Partnership Groups (AC/250 (Quality), AC/301 (Standardization of Materiel and Engineering Practices), AC/313 (Acquisition Practices), and AC/325 (Life Cycle Management)) into AC/327, Life Cycle Management.

The Director, Systems and Software Engineering, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)), is the chairman of AC/327. The Deputy Director, Systems and Software Engineering, Enterprise Development, OUSD (AT&L), is the Chairman of Sub-Group A, Policy and Enterprise Processes. The Chairmanship of Sub-Group B, Project Management and Agreement Processes, resides with the United States Army.

AC/327, Life Cycle Management, provides for an integrated, system life cycle approach, and structured process for life cycle management of NATO armament systems, services, and equipment. This is achieved through the managerial integration of all processes necessary to deliver these capabilities. The AC/327 Group is responsible for all acquisition life cycle policies, methods, procedures, and agreements, regarding systems engineering (hardware and software), quality, reliability and maintainability, configuration management, data management, risk management, and test and evaluation; and spanning across the full breadth of NATO systems, services, and equipment (i.e., not limited to armament systems under CNAD).

Key initiatives under AC/327 are:

• Analyzing AAP-20, Phased Armaments Programming System (PAPS), and determining what needs to be done in order to bring it up-to-date; and
• Analyzing how information technology has changed and how it can support secure, collaborated environments in multinational procurements.

Other initiatives are:

• Government procurement practices (e.g., CMMI, Allied QA Publications),
• Project management methods and procedures,
• Quality assurance requirements,
• Government quality assurance framework,
• Life cycle cost issues (e.g., engineering cost drivers),
• Risk management requirements,
• In-service environmental definition and testing requirements,
• In-service support requirements and execution,
• Obsolescence management requirements (life cycle systems engineering),
• Disposal management requirements (life cycle systems engineering),
• Technical interoperability requirements, and
• Materiel standardization efforts (e.g., combat clothing, corrosion prevention, etc.).

The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP)
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is an international organization that collaborates in defense scientific and technical information exchange; program harmonization and alignment; and shared research activities for Australia , Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The aim of TTCP is to foster cooperation within the science and technology areas needed for conventional (i.e. non-atomic) national defense. The purpose is to enhance national defense and reduce costs. To do this, it provides a formal framework which scientists and technologists can use to share information amongst one another in a quick and easy fashion.

Collaboration within TTCP provides a means of acquainting the participating nations with each other’s defense research and development programs so that each national program may be adjusted and planned in awareness of the efforts of the other nations. This process avoids unnecessary duplication among the national programs, promotes concerted action and joint research to identify and close important gaps in the collective technology base, and provides nations with the best technical information available.

TTCP’s primary focus is in the applied research domain, but it also encompasses basic research and technology development activities. The scope includes the exploration of alternative concepts prior to development of specific weapon systems, collaborative research, sharing of data, equipment, materiel and facilities, joint trials and exercises, and advanced concept technology demonstrations. Cooperation within TTCP often acts as the catalyst for project-specific collaborations further down the equipment acquisition path.

The Deputy Director, OUSD(AT&L) Systems and Software Engineering, Enterprise Development is a member of the TTCP’s Joint Systems and Analysis Group - Technical Panel 4 (Systems Engineering for Defence Modernization). The United States hosted the semi-annual meeting of TP 4 in June 2007.