The final report of the National Research Council's (NRC) Panel on Statistical Methods for Testing and Evaluating Defense Systems (National Research Council, 1998) was intended to provide broad advice to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on current statistical methods and principles that could be applied to the developmental and operational testing and evaluation of defense systems. To that end, the report contained chapters on the use of testing as a tool of system development; current methods of experimental design; evaluation methods; methods for testing and assessing reliability, availability, and maintainability; software development and testing; and validation of modeling and simulation for use in operational test and evaluation. While the examination of such a wide variety of topics was useful in helping DoD understand the breadth of problems for which statistical methods could be applied and providing direction as to how the methods currently used could be improved, there was, quite naturally, a lack of detail in each area. To address the need for further detail, two DoD agencies-the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics-asked the NRC's Committee on National Statistics to initiate a series of workshops on statistical issues relevant to defense acquisition. The aim of each workshop is to inform DoD about the methods that represent the statistical state of the art and, through interactions of the statistical and defense communities, explore their relevance for DoD application.

A high percentage of defense systems fail to meet their reliability requirements. This is a serious problem for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as well as the nation. Those systems are not only less likely to successfully carry out their intended missions, but they also could endanger the lives of the operators. Furthermore, reliability failures discovered after deployment can result in costly and strategic delays and the need for expensive redesign, which often limits the tactical situations in which the system can be used. Finally, systems that fail to meet their reliability requirements are much more likely to need additional scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and to need more spare parts and possibly replacement systems, all of which can substantially increase the life-cycle costs of a system. Beginning in 2008, DOD undertook a concerted effort to raise the priority of reliability through greater use of design for reliability techniques, reliability growth testing, and formal reliability growth modeling, by both the contractors and DOD units. To this end, handbooks, guidances, and formal memoranda were revised or newly issued to reduce the frequency of reliability deficiencies for defense systems in operational testing and the effects of those deficiencies. "Reliability Growth" evaluates these recent changes and, more generally, assesses how current DOD principles and practices could be modified to increase the likelihood that defense systems will satisfy their reliability requirements. This report examines changes to the reliability requirements for proposed systems; defines modern design and testing for reliability; discusses the contractor's role in reliability testing; and summarizes the current state of formal reliability growth modeling. The recommendations of "Reliability Growth" will improve the reliability of defense systems and protect the health of the valuable personnel who operate them.

For every weapons system being developed, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) must make a critical decision: Should the system go forward to full-scale production? The answer to that question may involve not only tens of billions of dollars but also the nation's security and military capabilities. In the milestone process used by DOD to answer the basic acquisition question, one component near the end of the process is operational testing, to determine if a system meets the requirements for effectiveness and suitability in realistic battlefield settings. Problems discovered at this stage can cause significant production delays and can necessitate costly system redesign. This book examines the milestone process, as well as the DOD's entire approach to testing and evaluating defense systems. It brings to the topic of defense acquisition the application of scientific statistical principles and practices.

Focuses on the core systems engineering tasks of writing,managing, and tracking requirements for reliability,maintainability, and supportability that are most likely to satisfycustomers and lead to success for suppliers This book helps systems engineers lead the development ofsystems and services whose reliability, maintainability, andsupportability meet and exceed the expectations of their customersand promote success and profit for their suppliers. This book isorganized into three major parts: reliability, maintainability, andsupportability engineering. Within each part, there is material onrequirements development, quantitative modelling, statisticalanalysis, and best practices in each of these areas. Heavy emphasisis placed on correct use of language. The author discusses the useof various sustainability engineering methods and techniques incrafting requirements that are focused on the customers’needs, unambiguous, easily understood by the requirements’stakeholders, and verifiable. Part of each major division of thebook is devoted to statistical analyses needed to determine whenrequirements are being met by systems operating in customerenvironments. To further support systems engineers in writing,analyzing, and interpreting sustainability requirements, this bookalso Contains “Language Tips” to help systems engineerslearn the different languages spoken by specialists andnon-specialists in the sustainability disciplines Provides exercises in each chapter, allowing the reader to tryout some of the ideas and procedures presented in the chapter Delivers end-of-chapter summaries of the current reliability,maintainability, and supportability engineering best practices forsystems engineers Reliability, Maintainability, and Supportability is a referencefor systems engineers and graduate students hoping to learn how toeffectively determine and develop appropriate requirements so thatdesigners may fulfil the intent of the customer.

Learn about the techniques used for evaluating the reliability and availability of engineered systems with this comprehensive guide.