Merging the Tribes: Streamlining DoD's Acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Systems
Abstract
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) recently released the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Roadmap in an attempt to provide guidance for a "logical systematic migration of mission capabilities to this new class of military tools." The roadmap addressed the following key questions: What military requirements could potentially be filled by UAS? What technologies are necessary to provide these capabilities? When could these technologies become available to enable the required capabilities? The OSD Roadmap was meant to "complement ongoing Service efforts to redefine their roles and missions for handling 21st century contingencies." Each military Service currently envisions UA systems as integral components of their future tactical formations." This creates a huge potential for duplication of effort, disjointed command and control, airspace management issues and an overall inefficient use of limited acquisition funding. The paper will examine the current and future capabilities of UA systems, and provide a logical framework for efficiently fielding and organizing UA systems in order to support the unique needs of the Services and the Combatant Commanders.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 10, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA449383
Entities
People
- Michael J. Jordan
Organizations
- United States Army War College