As America's civil and defense needs evolve and grow more sophisticated in a rapidly changing 21st century world, the agencies of the United States, particularly the Department of Defense and the armed forces, face a daunting acquisition task. They must buy and integrate the most complex programs developers have ever dreamed of into network-centric "systems of systems," and do it faster and more efficiently than ever before.

For servicemen and women on the ground in Iraq in Afghanistan, flexibility and speed in weapon and countermeasures system development is the stuff of everyday reality. And for their commanders, integrating information from weapons systems and sensors into theater-wide, region-wide and even global-wide views is key to maintaining the strategic superiority of U.S. forces.

In the air, at sea, and—more and more—in space, increased system capabilities, automation, and integration means building in high complexity: satellite systems with millions of lines of software code, for example, and strikingly new systems architectures for new classes of Navy fighting ships. Finding ways to do that more quickly and confidentl—by using proven approaches, shared or reused code, and a shared acquisition "roadmap"—is the challenge.

Applying the processes, methods, tools, and technologies of the Software Engineering Institute throughout the acquisition cycle helps the DoD meet that challenge and achieve its goals-because the SEI helps program managers put theory into practice. That delivers real value for both the warfighter and the nation.