Military Embedded Systems

Topic: FACE

Story
U.S. Navy investing in MOSA strategies

February 06, 2026

The modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in 2019 for all new programs and upgrades has been embraced by all the services, including the U.S. Navy, which produced a MOSA Guidebook on how and why to implement MOSA. In this interview I conducted with Jason Thomas, Systems Engineering Lead for the Department of the Navy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering, at the September 2025 MOSA Industry & Government Summit, we discussed the guidebook, the current momentum of MOSA strategies, and the benefits of MOSA from a systems-engineering perspective. We also explored common misconceptions regarding MOSA, metrics for measuring MOSA success, and what Thomas would like to see from industry regarding MOSA. Edited excerpts follow.

FACE Special Edition 2025

Don't miss the 2025 FACE Special Edition--packed full of features, interviews, FACE consortium information, and product profiles!

News
Safety-critical avionics solution announced by Curtiss-Wright and Green Hills Software

January 13, 2026