Measuring the architectural complexity of military Systems-of-Systems

This research introduces a method to both characterize and measure complexity as it directly relates to military System-of-Systems (SoS) architectures. The complexity measure can then be used to support decision making during the acquisition of a complex system-of-systems that provides a suppression of enemy air defenses capability. The development of the complexity measure focuses on capturing the tradeoffs that occur among the complexity of the individual constituent systems, the interfaces that connect them, as well as the complexity that results from the coordination of numerous different activities, tasks, and functions that must be executed in a programmed sequence to fulfill a capability. The end result will be more informed decision making during the conceptual design phase and the selection of military system-of-systems architectures that achieve a balance between effectiveness and complexity.