Intermediate Combat Systems Engineering

Date/Time: 18 June 2025; 1000-1800. Participants have breaks and half-hour for lunch on their own.

Course Description:

• The Intermediate Combat System Engineering course builds upon participants knowledge of the overarching DoD system engineering processes and uses history, heritage, and current events to advance student understanding.
• The course is structured to cover intermediate combat system engineering and fire control principles, from top-level requirements to allocated requirements to design requirements to combat system functions and associated design specifications, using  relevant system engineering principles to discuss air defense topics and the current spaced based interceptor.  This context-delivered approach improves the critical thinking required to engineer a complex system to meet always-advancing threat requirements.
• Participants have the opportunity to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom through independent exercises and group discussion.

Course Level: Intermediate Combat Systems Engineering Course - The attendee [learner] requires previous knowledge of this topic or attended the Introductory to Combat Systems Engineering Course.

PDHs: 8

Instructor: Rear Admiral Tom Druggan, U.S. Navy (Retired)

• Rear Admiral Tom Druggan, U.S. Navy (Ret.) served in the U.S. Navy for over 33 years with significant experience serving onboard five U.S. Navy destroyers, supporting the CNO and VCNO at Navy headquarters, and leading large technical and acquisition organizations to deliver critical integrated air & missile defense systems for DoD.
• Flag officer tours include Program Executive for Aegis BMD sea-based weapon systems in the Missile Defense Agency and as Commander of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, leading nearly 18,000 scientists and engineers.
• He also served as major program manager for the Aegis Combat System in the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems. At sea, he earlier served on five destroyers and as the commanding officer of USS O’Kane (DDG 77), conducting strike group operations and independent missions worldwide.
• Rear Admiral Druggan currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Insight, Ltd.

Course Agenda- Intermediate Combat System Engineering Course

1000-1010  Introduction

1010-1030  DoD System Engineering Review

1030-1130  What is Missile Fire Control?  What were the Aegis SE challenges for Air Defense? Quick Reaction?

1130-1145 Break

1145-1215 What are the current SE challenges of the Air Defense Problem?  

1215-1230 What were the Aegis SE challenges for Ballistic Missile Defense? What is Missile Fire Control?   What changed from Air Defense?

1230-1250  What are the current SE challenges of the Ballistic Missile Defense Problem?

1250-1315  Lunch

1315-1330  Golden Dome for American Overview

1330-1400  Independent Exercise:  What are some potential Top-Level Requirements? 

• Example:  Witherton Study Air Defense TRL

1400-1445  What are the SE Considerations for DE and Railgun?

1445-1500  Break

1500-1700  What are the SE Considerations for the Space-based Interceptor?

• IT Network vs. Fire Control Network
• Top-Level Requirements
• End-to- End Performance & Error Budget
• Latency – Sensor, C2, Engagement
• System Requirements Allocation
• Design Requirements for a Space-based Interceptor (missile)

1700-1720  Break

1720-1730   Course Review

1740-1800  Q&A, Survey, and Wrap-up