Introduction

A major conference focusing on improving acquisition and performance of Defense programs and systems, including network centric operations and data/information interoperability, systems engineering and all aspects of system sustainment, will be convened in San Diego, CA, October 25-28, 2010.  This conference is sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association, Systems Engineering Division, with technical co-sponsorship by IEEE AES, IEEE Systems Council and the International Council on Systems Engineering, and is supported by the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Director, Systems and Software Engineering, and the Office of the DoD Chief Information Officer.

The Department of Defense continues to work to improve the acquisition of military equipment and capability to assist the warfighter in protecting the U.S. and its allies, and help oppressed nations around the world, amidst continuously changing conditions and threats. The DoD seeks to improve the acquisition process and overall program execution of military systems, to provide greater, more effective and reliable warfighting capability, at affordable cost and within reasonable schedules. One of the primary and critically important areas of program acquisition and execution lies in the umbrella discipline of Systems Engineering, which is the overall integrating function in defense programs, from proper requirements definition & flowdown, effective and affordable design that integrates reliability, availability and maintainability considerations into the overall balance of design that emphasizes supportability and usage aspects along with overall performance, cost and schedule. Systems Engineering principles embody strong technical and risk management aspects, for both the acquiring program office as well as the executing defense prime and subcontractors. Strong emphasis on systems engineering throughout the life cycle of the program, from concept development through sustainment, is a key enabler of successful programs. The annual Systems Engineering Conference explores the role of systems engineering in defense programs from all aspects and perspectives, including the pragmatic, practical and academic viewpoints, and brings key practitioners together to work on effective solutions to achieving a successful warfighting force.

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