Abstract. This paper presents the challenges and lessons learned during the realization of a prototype collaborative engineering environment to support capability engineering under the auspices of an R&D Technical Demonstration Program within the Canadian Department of National Defence. The definition and motivation of capability engineering is discussed, followed by the role, relevance and approach taken towards enabling collaboration within it. The basics of the collaborative environment, both as a system of systems and as it was applied to a departmental use case are highlighted, with specific emphasis on the breadth of issues that arise, including application, technical, organizational, personnel, cultural and process.

This paper describes the fundamental characteristics (goals, scope, stakeholders, inputs/outputs and conception principles) upon which will be based the development of the first version of the Canadian Capability Engineering Process being investigating by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, to bridge the gap between the Capability‐Based Planning and Acquisition processes.

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As defence planning and management evolves from a platform‐centric, threat‐based approach toward a capability‐based paradigm, the need for a rigorous approach to systems engineering at the capability level is amplified. This is because capability‐based plans incorporate system‐of‐systems configurations with varying developmental timeframes that must deliver interoperable effects on the battlefield. In addressing this challenge, a capability‐based planning construct is being examined within the Department of National Defence. This construct is supported by integrating and enabling concepts like enterprise architectures, system‐of‐systems engineering principles and capability metrics. While an architecture framework is useful for developing functional requirements of a capability, a metric framework, as this paper contends, can be used as a guide for defining and articulating desired quality characteristics. This paper describes the concept of a capability metric framework, and how it has been applied to define capability goals and evaluate implementation options.

Abstract. Significant changes in the nature of military systems and the military environment require improvements of the current military systems acquisition process. The Capability Engineering Process (CEP), to be delivered through the CapDEM project, aims at improving military capabilities acquisition in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF). However, opportunities to improve capability acquisition are too numerous to implement all of them within the CEP. This paper presents a structured approach to better orient the development of a CEP. CURRENT CAPABILITY ACQUISITION ISSUESMilitary systems acquisition has changed significantly over the last decade. Past and present acquisition processes are no longer well adapted to the new acquisition context. For instance, threat-based and single-service military acquisition is evolving toward multi-service and capability-based acquisition composed of many complex systems, or System-of-Systems (SoS). As another example, upgradability of systems and interoperability between systems, within and between nations, are becoming mandatory requirements for most capabilities. Current military system acquisition processes cannot easily adapt to the rapidly changing nature of requirements or technological innovations. Figure 1 shows the mean time between the identification of a capability deficiency and the final delivery of a capability in the DND/CF (DND/CF, 2003). Figure 1. Average Canadian Forces acquisition life cycle (in months)Fifteen years was perhaps an acceptable timeframe to deliver a Full Operational Capability (FOC) during the cold war. At that time, the enemy, the context of operations and the technology were changing at a slow pace. However, the increasing technology development rate and the rapidly changing nature of the threat impose a more adaptive and a faster capability acquisition process. The increasing complexity of systems and SoS also leads to an increasing military 1390