R&M in an era of acquisition reform [reliability and maintenance]

Acquisition Reform is an initiative intended to restructure the Department of Defense (DoD) weapon system procurement process by minimizing government oversight and increasing reliance on commercial products and practices. Rome Laboratory is undertaking many initiatives to ensure the reliability and maintainability (R&M) of the next generation of commercial and military systems developed in this new acquisition environment. Several R&M specifications and standards reform initiatives are underway which include: developing nongovernment replacement standards; developing military handbooks; and forming partnerships with industry associations and professional societies. In addition to the new standardization activities, Rome Laboratory is also undertaking a number of research activities to help implement Acquisition Reform. Process oriented approaches to assure system reliability at all levels of indenture are being developed. It is recognized that indiscriminate acceptance of commercial products without adequate reliability assessment may adversely affect system reliability and readiness. To alleviate this concern, Rome Laboratory is assessing the reliability of commercial parts, nondevelopmental items, and plastic encapsulated microcircuits in military equipment environments. By providing an overview of these activities, this paper reveals the great impact Acquisition Reform is having on R&M standardization and on the direction of research at Rome Laboratory.