10 U.S.C. § 2446a
Section 2446a · Renumbered § 4401]
Current version, with additions and removals from the December 23, 2016 version.
(b) Definitions.—In this chapter:
(b) Definitions.—In this chapter:
(1) The term "modular open system approach" means, with respect to a major defense acquisition program, an integrated business and technical strategy that—
(1) The term "modular open system approach" means, with respect to a major defense acquisition program, an integrated business and technical strategy that—
(i) comply with, if available and suitable, widely supported and consensus-based standards; or
(ii) are delivered pursuant to the requirements established in subsection (a)(2)(B) of section 804 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, including the delivery of—
(I) software-defined interface syntax and properties, specifically governing how values are validly passed and received between major subsystems and components, in machine-readable format;
(II) a machine-readable definition of the relationship between the delivered interface and existing common standards or interfaces available in Department interface repositories; and
(III) documentation with functional descriptions of software-defined interfaces, conveying semantic meaning of interface elements, such as the function of a given interface field;
(i) significant cost savings or avoidance;
(i) significant cost savings or avoidance;
(ii) schedule reduction;
(ii) schedule reduction;
(iii) opportunities for technical upgrades;
(iii) opportunities for technical upgrades;
(iv) increased interoperability, including system of systems interoperability and mission integration; or
(iv) increased interoperability, including system of systems interoperability and mission integration; or
(v) other benefits during the sustainment phase of a major weapon system; and
(v) other benefits during the sustainment phase of a major weapon system; and
(D) complies with the technical data rights set forth in section 2320 of this title.
(D) complies with the technical data rights set forth in section 2320 of this title.
(2) The term "major system platform" means the highest level structure of a major weapon system that is not physically mounted or installed onto a higher level structure and on which a major system component can be physically mounted or installed.
(2) The term "major system platform" means the highest level structure of a major weapon system that is not physically mounted or installed onto a higher level structure and on which a major system component can be physically mounted or installed.
(3) The term "major system component"—
(3) The term "major system component"—
(B) includes a subsystem or assembly that is likely to have additional capability requirements, is likely to change because of evolving technology or threat, is needed for interoperability, facilitates incremental deployment of capabilities, or is expected to be replaced by another major system component.
(B) includes a subsystem or assembly that is likely to have additional capability requirements, is likely to change because of evolving technology or threat, is needed for interoperability, facilitates incremental deployment of capabilities, or is expected to be replaced by another major system component.
(4) The term "major system interface"—
(B) is characterized clearly in terms of form, function, and the content that flows across the interface in order to enable technological innovation, incremental improvements, integration, and interoperability.
(5) The term "modular system" refers to a weapon system or weapon system component that—
(A) is able to execute without requiring coincident execution of other specific weapon systems or components;
(B) can communicate across component boundaries and through interfaces; and
(C) functions as a module that can be separated, recombined, and connected with other weapon systems or weapon system components in order to achieve various effects, missions, or capabilities.