Open Architecture Management

Open Architecture Management falls under the Air Force's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation budget activity. The program aims to develop, evolve, and manage open standards to reduce acquisition and life-cycle costs and mitigate risks associated with the development, sustainment, technology refresh, and capability upgrades of mission systems on weapon systems. The Open Architecture Management Office (OAMO) at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is responsible for executing these efforts and will continue to manage the Open Mission Systems (OMS) and the Universal Command and Control (C2) Interface (UCI) Standards. The program also includes funding for various entities such as the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the 76th Software Engineering Group (76 SWEG), defense contractors, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and University Affiliated Research Centers to support standards management activities.

The specific objectives of this program include accomplishing industry activities resulting in the annual release of OMS and UCI standards along with associated documentation and training materials. It also involves managing government activities to support these standards and other open architecture initiatives. Additionally, the program aims to add capability and evolve standards and open architecture initiatives to meet acquisition needs. The program will continue to modify and update existing OMS and UCI Standards to increase their applicability, account for emerging technologies, adjust for program-specific needs, and conduct targeted training. Furthermore, it includes executing activities to enhance the applicability of open standards and Government Reference Architectures (GRAs), as well as enabling their transition to OAMO management.