Part, material, and process requirements impact on reliability

The defense acquisition landscape has changed significantly over the past thirty years. Acquisition reform in the 1990s resulted in many changes to the DoD acquisition process. One such effort included moving away from military standards and specifications to promote the use of commercial technologies. The industrial base supporting DoD has changed as well. DoD has become a less influential buyer due to decreased spending, thus reducing availability and increasing costs of military-grade products. Defense acquisition strategy remains focused on procuring reliable products that will meet and exceed mission capability with minimal operational support. The parts, materials, and processes (PM&P) used in the design, development, and production of military systems serve as the essential elements for system reliability. This paper focuses on recent changes in PM&P requirements, such as incorporating lessons learned back into military standards from past system acquisitions, to improve the selection, application, and procurement of PM&P for military systems.