The United States Air Force (USAF) has completed a new series of guides for designers of instructional systems—Air Force Handbook 36-2235, Information for Designers of Instructional Systems. Volume 3, Application to Acquisition, covers the major phases of the instructional system development (ISD) process and addresses them to the various phases of defense system acquisition. The ISD process has application in all acquisition phases, but the major effort occurs between the demonstration and validation phase and the production and deployment phase. The new Air Force ISD model incorporates the necessary functions for fielding successful total training systems. Fielding a new defense system with a total training system is a project that requires considerable management, coordination, and integration. Interface of the ISD process with the system engineering process ensures that critical functions are not overlooked early in the overall design and that these requirements are tracked throughout the acquisition for full implementation and life cycle support. This guide incorporates lessons learned from the past, applying a systematic, orderly process of integrated product development and treating ISD and system acquisition as a total system.

This paper discusses this new application of the ISD process in acquisition, the redefinition of activities leading to a common terminology for instructional designers and system engineers, and the orientation to quality improvement of the total training system throughout the life cycle of the defense system.