The concept of “systems integration” lies at the center of the Bush administration’s pledge to transform the American military and modernize the Pentagon’s antiquated procurement policy. Championed in the development of such next generation technologies as missile defense and the Army’s Future Combat System, systems integration promises to shift greater responsibility to the private sector in linking the complex and disparate pieces of the American military machine into a unified whole. Even as the concept is put into practice, however, it remains the source of significant uncertainty and controversy.

What exactly is systems integration? What are its consequences for defense transformation and defense procurement? Will systems integration accelerate the pace of innovation and advancement, as its proponents claim? Or will it impede oversight and accountability, while stifling competition, as its detractors fear?

In the second AEI Supply-Side Briefing on the future of the defense industry, these and other questions will be examined by a panel of experts. Vice Admiral Arthur Cebrowski (USN, retired), director of the Pentagon Office of Force Transformation, will offer opening remarks. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems CEO Jim Albaugh will deliver the keynote address.