Improving System Performance and Affordability by Improving Sailor Performance

NAVSEA Dahlgren is a leader in providing systems engineering expertise to Navy acquisition programs. The Integrated Command Environment (ICE) and Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) team and facilities, due to the location at NAVSEA Dahlgren and partnership with the Center for Surface Combatant Systems (CSCS), provide a valuable link between science and technology, research and development activities, and the acquisition and Fleet communities. Performing research in the context of operational needs ensures Fleet interest and participation, appropriate focus, and a clear transition path. Strong Fleet participation (1,500 officer and enlisted participants in the last five years) and human systems engineering expertise have been key to the success of the ICE/HPL.

The ICE/HPL team's focus is human performance, stressing optimization of manpower, usability, maintainability, decision support, and knowledge superiority in an effort to enhance the capabilities of our warfighters and improve total system performance and affordability over the entire life-cycle of a platform or system. A sound, systems engineering approach is applied to problems, emphasizing that a system is not only composed of hardware and software but also includes the human operators, maintainers, decision makers, and the shore support infrastructure manpower.