While the C3I portion of the weapons platform is important for supporting the weapons platform's operation within the operational environment, the focus of the policy is on the weapons platforms intraoperability issues to include C3I and the numerous functions necessary to support the weapons systems survivability. This Reform preference for performance specs and industry standards has the purpose of enhancing the possibility that contractors will propose specs, standards, and products that are used in the private sector. This preference paves the way for contractor proposals using industry solutions consistent with the open systems approach i.e., widely accepted, standard products, available from multiple suppliers at competitive prices. Thus the OS approach and Standards Reform are very consistent as to purpose and effect. Overall, you should select the standard that provides the best business case, whether it's de facto or de jure, and that provides your program the best chance for success over the life of the program.
Timing is especially critical here.
Selecting a standard that is too mature runs the risk of being non-supportable. Market analysis should be conducted throughout the program life cycle to keep program requirements in synchronization with what standards can provide. Never You can always take an open systems approach. However, the resulting system may only be open to the degree that the system's characteristics lend themselves to an open systems implementation. For example System characteristics may cause a non-open system to be the best technical and business choice, such as A highly integrated architecture or implementation, where the architecture lacks modularity , or if there is modularity, the interfaces are not well defined.