Table Of Content

HBMK mKHBM nllibaMM I r^JSfff!i-i bmhui X'^Uiw : BRBI95HS HjUflMpa BBSSHHDKw 328 IQIHMMRHEP"' nas^i is mm HSHbHH BflMwjHflB B9SBS flLCUUUUJUCU MHpftffJWfB HffBnP H HHBGn Hot man NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS AN ASSESSMENT OF THE MARINE TACTICAL COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM (MTACCS) by Philip L. Cochran in, Captain, USMC. and Michael J. Foley, Captain, USMC. March, 1991 Thesis Advisor: Donald A. Lacer Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. T256816 SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONOFTHISPAGE REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE la REPORTSECURITYCLASSIFICATION 1b RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS UNCLASSIFIED 2a SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONAUTHORITY 3 DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITYOF REPORT Approvedfor publicrelease;distributionisunlimited. 2b DECLASSIFICATION/DOWNGRADINGSCHEDULE 4 PERFORMINGORGANIZATIONREPORTNUMBER(S) 5 MONITORINGORGANIZATIONREPORTNUMBER(S) 6a NAME OF PERFORMINGORGANIZATION 6b OFFICESYMBOL 7a NAMEOF MONITORINGORGANIZATION NavalPostgraduateSchool (Ifapplicable) NavalPostgraduateSchool 39 6c ADDRESS{City,State,andZIPCode) 7b ADDRESS(C/fy,State, andZIPCode) Monterey,CA 93943-5000 Monterey,CA 93943 5000 8a NAME OF FUNDING/SPONSORING 8b OFFICE SYMBOL 9 PROCUREMENTINSTRUMENTIDENTIFICATION NUMBER ORGANIZATION (Ifapplicable) 8c ADDRESS(City,State, andZIPCode) 10 SOURCEOFFUNDINGNUMBERS ProgramtlementNo ProjectNo Work UnitAcceiiion Number 11 TITLE (IncludeSecurityClassification) ANASSESSMENTOFTHE MARINETACTICALCOMMANDANDCONTROLSYSTEM(MTACCS)(U) 12 PERSONALAUTHOR(S) Cochran,PhilipLewis III; Foley,MichaelJames 13a.TYPEOFREPORT 13b TIMECOVERED 14 DATEOF REPORT(year,month,day) 15 PAGE COUNT Master'sThesis From To 1991,March 232 16 SUPPLEMENTARYNOTATION TheviewsexpressedinthisthesisarethoseoftheauthoranddonotreflecttheofficialpolicyorpositionoftheDepartmentofDefenseortheU.S. Government. 17 COSATICODES 18 SUBJECTTERMS(continueonreverseifnecessaryandidentifybyblocknumber) FIELD GROUP SUBGROUP MTACCS,MIFASS,TCO,U.S.MarineCorps, EvolutionaryAcquisition,Combat Development 19 ABSTRACT(continueonreverseifnecessaryandidentifybyblocknumber) This thesis is an assessment of the current efforts in the development of a Marine Corps Tactical Command and Control System (MTACCS). The Marine Corps has been developing MTACCS for more than twenty years. The recentcancellationofakeycomponentsubsystemandthe DOD reorganization effortsofthe late 1980'scaused a two year period ofdormancy in this program. The driving goal ofthis assessment is todevelop an understanding ofthe strengths and the possible risks inherent in the "revitalized" program that is now in renewed development. The assessment effort examines the history of the program, the feasibility of the new concept, cost-effectiveness, systems engineering, and interoperability. Conclusions stress the importance of doctrinal consensus, adequate requirements definition, engineering the system as a whole, and evolutionary acquisition in the development of moderncommandandcontrol systems. 20 DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITYOFABSTRACT 21 ABSTRACTSECURITYCLASSIFICATION . Pi unclassified/unlimited J SAMEasREPORT ] OTICUSERS UNCLASSIFIED 22a NAMEOF RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL 22b.TELEPHONE(IncludeAreacode) 22c OFFICESYMBOL DonaldA.Lacer 408-6462772 39LA DD FORM 1473,84 MAR 83APReditionmaybeusedunti exhausted SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONOFTHIS PAGE l Allothereditionsareobsolete UNCLASSIFIED Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. An Assessment of the Marine Tactical Command and Control System (MTACCS) by Philip L. £ochran III Captain, United States Marine Corps B.S., Carnegie Mellon University and Michael J. Foley Captain, United States Marine Corps B.S., United States Naval Academy Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL March 1991 11 ABSTRACT This thesis is an assessment of the current efforts in the development of a Marine Corps Tactical Command and Control System (MTACCS). The Marine Corps has been developing MTACCS for more than twenty years. The recent cancellation of a key DOD component subsystem and the reorganization efforts of the late 1980's caused a two year period of dormancy in this program. The driving goal of this assessment is to develop an understanding of the strengths and possible risks inherent in the new "revitalized" program that is now in renewed development. The assessment effort examines the history ofthe program, the feasibility ofthe new concept, cost effectiveness, systems engineering, and interoperability. Conclusions stress the importance of doctrinal consensus, adequate requirements definition, engineering the system as a whole, and evolutionary acquisition of modern command and control systems. in TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. 1 A. PURPOSE OF THE THESIS 1 B. OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTERS 2 1. Chapter II. The Termination of MIFASS 2 2. Chapter in. MTACCS Today: The Response to MIFASS 2 3. Chapter IV. Feasibility Assessment 3 4. Chapter V. A Cost-Effectiveness Assessment 3 5. Chapter VI. Combat Development Assessment 3 MTACCS 6. Chapter VII. Interoperability Assessment 4 C. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF MTACCS 4 Background 4 1. 2. History 7 II. THE TERMINATION OF MIFASS 12 A. INTRODUCTION 12 1. Purpose of this Chapter 12 2. A Description of the MIFASS System 12 3. MIFASS Chronology 17 4. Key Players and Their Responsibilities 19 B. SEVERAL VIEWPOINTS ON THE TERMINATION OF MIFASS ... 26 What Went Wrong? 26 1. 2. The Barker Working Group Study of MIFASS, 1982 27 3. The General Accounting Office, 1983-1986 28 4. The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), early 1987 30 5. The Marine Corps Viewpoint, mid 1987 33 6. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), 1987 38 . 7. Current Perceptions, 1987 to the Present 40 C. IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEMS WITHIN THE MIFASS PROGRAM 41 1. Why the Program was Terminated 41 2. The Problems Within the MIFASS Program 43 D. CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED 49 1. Conclusions 49 2. Lessons Learned 50 IV