CMOSS/CMFF Trades Interoperability for Free-Thinking Innovation

Will the U.S. Army's attempt to define a universal framework for modular interoperability stifle industry innovation?

Answering the challenge of increasingly complex military systems that are harder to upgrade, the U.S. Army has released a set of open system architecture standards. Ensuring an open and common approach to systems architecture, these are the standards that will define the prototypes being built for operational assessment:

Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR)

C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS)

CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF)

While these initiatives attempt to define this universal framework for module interoperability, there's a trade-off between mandating commonality and promoting innovation. As the momentum around CMOSS/CMFF builds, how much room will be left to develop innovative new capabilities and business practices?