The DOD Operational Requirement and Systems Concepts Generation Processes

Operational requirements generation and system concepts generation are the crucial processes by which the US decides what weapon systems it needs to develop and acquire to sustain the military national instrument of power for the sake of achieving national security objectives. This paper asserts that the current operational requirements and system concept generation processes can and should be significantly improved. To develop that assertion, the paper examines the evolution of the processes since the President’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management (the "Packard Commission") made its recommendations in 1986.