Tactical Utility of Tailored Systems

Abstract

The Army is traditionally shaped to confront what is expected, but winning in a complex world requires fighting an unknown enemy. Future enemies will have access to off-the-shelf technologies that previously only large nation-states could afford. Meanwhile, large nation-states are able to duplicate or steal US high-technology investments at a fraction of the research cost. Even if the technology knock-offs are substandard, they still negate the US return on investment (ROI) of the raw technology development cost. No longer can the US spend billions to develop the next stealth technology and expect a twenty-year payoff. Acquisition programs in all services already struggle to meet prescribed timelines and remain within budget. This paper hopes to explore the idea of combining virtual environments and rapid manufacturing to create tailored materiel specific to region or even battle. This powerful process innovation aims to tilt the cost/effectiveness calculation back in the favor of the United States.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 10, 2015
Accession Number
ADA623871

Entities

People

  • Robert E. Smith

Organizations

  • United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Assembly
  • Augmented Reality
  • Construction
  • Engineering
  • Fabrication
  • Human Systems Integration
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Military Vehicles
  • Printing
  • Second World War
  • Systems Engineering
  • Three Dimensional
  • Virtual Reality
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design