June 04, 2018
Since the 1994 Perry directive to use COTS [commercial off-the shelf] components, virtually all defense and intelligence organizations have been seeking standards-based solutions for electronic equipment and systems. However, even without that mandate, government customers have come to recognize the commonsense benefits of open standards to take advantage of the latest technology, shorten procurement cycles, and foster competitive pricing. Instead of simply trying to comply with procurement policies, these large government organizations are now actively pursuing and promoting new standards to align with current and future mission requirements. More than simply new standards, these initiatives present a new paradigm of system architectures that can efficiently evolve to accommodate new threats and changing requirements, without starting over from scratch each time.