ENGINEERING THE TOTAL SHIP (ETS) SYMPOSIUM 2006 "Engineering Ships for an Affordable, Integrated Force" 1-3 May 2006 ~ Westin Arlington Gateway (Ballston) Arlington, VA

Engineering the Total Ship (ETS) is a biennial forum sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers and supported by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ships and the Naval Sea Systems Command.   The first four symposia, ETS 1998, ETS 2000, ETS 2002, and ETS 2004 established a technical forum for dialogue among engineers, researchers, acquisition officials, and managers in government and industry to address evolving and emergent issues in the engineering and operation of ships.   ETS 2006 will continue and expand upon the tradition of an open technical forum for the interdisciplinary exchange among government and industry personnel engaged in supporting the Navy, including ships and everything that goes with them. For the first time, presenters and attendees will include members of the international Naval engineering community.  The theme for ETS 2006 is Engineering Ships for an Affordable, Integrated Force. This theme explores the engineering aspects of the interrelationships of capability and affordability of the systems composing the sea-based operations of the Naval force as an element of joint, allied, and coalition forces.   ETS 2006 will emphasize the role of systems engineering in making the complex trade-offs necessary to define, construct and sustain the ships that effectively contribute to force warfare.  Papers will be presented on topics that address affordability, capabilities, integration, and networked operations of Naval, joint, allied, and coalition forces.   Sessions are planned on the following topics: an historical perspective on the trade space confronting the system engineer, an overview of systems engineering of U.S. and foreign ships, a glimpse into the future of Naval forces, and comments from fleet personnel with their perspective on the role of ships in joint force warfare.   In addition to those papers selected for presentation during Symposium technical sessions, other papers will be selected for a poster session that will provide an additional forum for authors to interact with Symposium attendees.   A Cornerstone Panel will address issues associated with designing ships and getting them built.   A Capstone Panel, composed of senior leaders, will conclude the Symposium by discussing topics on the overall theme of the Symposium as well as topics identified during the technical and poster presentation sessions.   Reinforcing and complementing the engineering theme of the Symposium, the Naval Postgraduate School will present a full-day seminar on systems engineering as a third day of activities during ETS 2006 .