Abstract
The focus of this study is to understand and pave the way to build theory of System of Systems (SoS). The authors try to marshal the established thoughts and develop new insights to shed light on the topic. Although the research thrashes the proposed rudimentary concepts, yet they are important to caste clarity to lay the concrete foundation for the emerging concept of SoS. The first part of the paper discusses about the conceptual milieu of SoS. It tries to help resolve their identity crisis by proposing two edges of chaos. SoS and monolithic systems self-organize at two opposite edges. Then the research work defines SoS locus on extended system of systems methodology (E-SoSM) framework, and dissects it to decode its contradictory and aberrant behavior. Upon this understanding, the second part traces out the incapacitation of traditional military techniques for asymmetric warfare, typifying with a friendly fire incident of the current Afghan War. Seeing through this lens, conjures up that military SoS and anti SoS (enemy) fight to annihilate each other during the clashes of systems of systems in the theater of war.
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This paper was recommended for publication by Editor WANG Shouyang.
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Mahmood, A. ‘SoS call’ at the other edge of chaos. J Syst Sci Complex 29, 133–150 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11424-015-3189-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11424-015-3189-y