COMBATANT CAPABILITY—A NEW DIMENSION IN SHIP DESIGN

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe traditional approach to ship design involved a recognized sequence of design steps, usually identified as preliminary, contract, and detail design. The first two resulted in a naval architectural ship definition and a list of specified equipments. These provided firm constraint on the third step. Not explicitly or quantitatively addressed was the reason for a warship's existence, its combatant capability in the actual environment. The frequently addressed technical excellence required to produce a ship design is needed in full measure today. Added to the task is a much more sharply defined set of contracts, within the Navy between the technical and operational communities, and externally among the Navy and the hierarchy of review and approval represented by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Congress. An understanding of this new drum beat and capability to march to it are prime requirements for the Navy's survival. A significant measure of the Navy's effectiveness is the number of ships which we can acquire within expected shipbuilding budget allocations and within cost ceilings and performance floors of “design to cost.” We have made progress in developing a method to assess combatant capability and effect design trade relationships versus top‐level requirements. This paper discusses the need for this new dimension in design. Companion papers will develop the technical rationale and methodology of the simulation which makes possible the capability.