TASC Report: Defense Budget Austerity Calls for Renewed Emphasis on Systems Engineering and Integration

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Apr 23, 2012, 11:28 ET

CHANTILLY, Va., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report published by TASC, Inc. makes the case that systems engineering and integration (SE&I) is essential to manage defense budget constraints without jeopardizing national security, and that it would be a mistake to reduce funding for SE&I at the same time that national security programs in general are being reduced.

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"Twenty-first century acquisition is more complex than national security acquisitions of the past. Today's systems need to be more capable and agile than before, and they need to be built more quickly and at less cost," says Rich Rosenthal, Chief Technology Officer of TASC. "Engineering the big picture to accommodate these demanding requirements is the responsibility of systems engineering."

Among the benefits of applying SE&I to national security systems:

Systems engineering helps improve decision making under conditions of uncertainty and complexity, using a combination of proven and new tools.
Systems engineering orchestrates integration among disciplines and subsystems using collaborative tools such as integrative review.
Systems engineering supports new acquisition models such as incremental commitment by implementing enterprise architecture roadmaps and recommending new technology to improve capability.
Model-based systems engineering leads to lower cost, improved capability, lower risks, and improved defenses against attack.

"Systems engineers are learning techniques from complexity science such as hierarchical and modular design, prevention of failures from unintended consequences, and analysis of power law characteristics in complex systems," says Rosenthal. "This paper discusses these concepts to demonstrate the importance of maintaining systems engineering in the face of budget austerity."

The paper, "Need for Systems Engineering and Integration in Time of Budget Austerity," has been accepted for the 22nd Annual International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Symposium in Rome, Italy. It is co-authored by Rich Rosenthal, Sarah Sheard, principal of Third Millennium Systems, a systems engineering consulting firm, and William Neuendorf, a senior systems engineer at TASC.

Read or download the full report.

About TASC

Founded in 1966, TASC, Inc., helps solve complex national security and public safety challenges by providing advanced systems engineering, integration and decision-support services to the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense and civilian agencies of the federal government. With about 5,000 employees in 40 locations, TASC generates more than $1.5 billion in annual revenue. For more information and career opportunities, visit our website at www.tasc.com.

Media Contact: Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, TASC Public Relations Manager, [email protected], (703) 653-5996.

SOURCE TASC, Inc.