The use of commercial off-the-shelf information technology in operational defence equipment.

This thesis examines the impact on future military systems, from an operational and procurement point of view, of the use and the consequences of the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) information technology (IT) in all forms of operational defence equipment by the UK armed forces. The main objectives of the research were to identify uses for IT by UK MoD, to examine the impact of this technology on operational military equipment, to establish where COTS IT is applicable, to examine procurement implications for the suppliers and MoD, to consider the consequences of using COTS IT and to see whether lessons can be learned from the United States Navy utilisation of COTS IT. Employing COTS IT appears an attractive financial proposition, provided the required performance can be achieved. A literature survey gathered relevant data and highlighted benefits, problems and issues. An examination was also made of the various uses of COTS IT by MoD. A COTS IT Circular Model was developed to examine the issues, decisions and organisations involved if COTS IT is to be used to meet any military requirement. This tool is a potentially useful training aid. To understand the views of MoD and the UK defence industry, some 550 completed questionnaires were analysed, supported by personal interviews. These provide statistically significant results, which were compared with information about the US Navy experiences with COTS IT. The implications for MoD are that for COTS IT-based projects, MoD will need to set up acquisition and through-life support guidelines, manage the dissimilar life cycles and development time scales of COTS IT and military equipment, take a different approach to funding and maintenance, avoid insisting of the application of existing military requirements, manage security issues and bandwidth requirements, and research how to use COTS IT in safety critical systems