CALS In General

Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support (CALS) is a US Government Strategy (Department of Defense (DoD) and Commerce) strategy for achieving effective creation, exchange, and use of digital data for weapon systems and equipment.

Although the acronym has gone through many revisions such as "Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistics Support" or the current "Commerce at Light Speed", CALS stands for the same strategy.

CALS is a core strategy to share integrated digital product data through a set of standards to achieve efficiencies in business and operational mission areas.

The strategy consists of the following elements:

• Business process change
• Use of leading edge information technology
• A shared information environment
• Use of international standards
• A structured management approach

The CALS VISION:

DoD and other government agencies are committed to incorporating CALS into functional process improvements. As they apply the best technologies, processes, and standards for the development, management, exchange, and use of business and technical information among and within governmental and industrial enterprises, an Integrated Data Environment (IDE) will be generated.

The IDE is defined as the business environment created by the application of existing national and international standards, practices, and technologies to automate the management and exchange of information. The IDE directly enables Integrated Product and Process Development while increasing the agility and decreasing cycle times of the Defense Enterprise.

CALS is founded on the recognition that affordable, readily accessible, and timely technical and business information is a critical element of the acquisition process.

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Last update to this page was 04/03/98