DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR EARLY ACQUISITION SUPPORT

THE EARLY ACQUISITION SUPPORT ESTIMATOR (EASE) IS AN IBM PC-BASED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR PRE-MILESTONE I ACQUISITION DECISION MAKING. IT PROVIDES LIFE CYCLE COST (LCC) INFORMATION CONCERNING THE LOGISTIC DESIGN OPTIONS THAT MAY BE INCLUDED IN A WEAPON SYSTEM DESIGN. THE TOOL IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE THAT WILL FACILITATE LOW DATA INPUT TIME AND ALSO PROVIDE EASY-TO-INTERPRET OUTPUT. IT HAS THE CAPABILITY TO INTEGRATE THE IMPACTS OF NEW EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ON THE LCC OF A WEAPON SYSTEM. OPERATIONAL SCENARIO OPTIONS, PERFORMANCE FACTORS, SUPPORTABILITY OPTIONS, DEPLOYMENT LOCATION, AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEM CONCEPTS WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE LOGISTICS LCC COMPUTATIONS.