Systems Concepts for Executives

Abstract

Transforming Defense: National Security in the 21st Century, the December 1997 final report of the National Defense Panel, discusses a "strategy" of transformation" and emphasizes systemic change in procurement. It refers to "lock-ins " for equipment purchases, "short technological life cycles," and "changing the defense structure." Several conclusions may be drawn from the report: The Information Age changes the dynamics of systems. Networks, flexible manufacturing just-in-time inventories, and "increasing returns" all influence the way systems will respond; Systems concepts that are relevant to defense policy and planning include: accelerators, lagged feedback, transient states, stocks and flows, and discontinuous change; The dynamics between reducing inventories and the resulting effects on production are no proportional reductions are more severe in the production sector than in inventory; Education in the dynamics of systems is needed within the Department of Defense to accommodate strategic planning for procurement.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA394249

Entities

People

  • Rolf Clark

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Aircrafts
  • Closed Loop Systems
  • Computer Simulations
  • Computers
  • Drilling Machines
  • Inventory
  • Machine Tools
  • Manufacturing
  • Military Aircraft
  • National Security
  • Operating Systems
  • Procurement
  • Software Development
  • Steady State
  • Tools
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Economics
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Theoretical Analysis.