Definitions of Effectiveness Terms: A Report on the Purpose and Contents of MIL-STD-721B

The impact of the Systems Effectiveness concept upon U.S. military terminology required for acquisition of modern weapon systems necessitated a thorough revision of MIL-STD-721A and consolidation with MIL-STD-778 and MIL-STD447. Inclusion of a number of new terms and their definitions, as well as addition of standard definitions for terms on human factors and safety, was found to be necessary. The resulting military standard has been approved by the U.S. Department of Defense for use by all of its departments and agencies. Its contents should be of great interest to management and engineers in private industry who are concerned with the development and production of weapon systems for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This standard is now in print and will be available for distribution early in 1967; this paper is written by one of the participants in the revision and compilation of this military standard and is published here for the purpose of information on its scope and contents.