Expanding our horizons in verification, validation, and accreditation research and practice

Many different types of modeling and simulation (M&S) applications, consisting of a combination of software, hardware, and humanware, are used in dozens of disciplines under diverse objectives including acquisition, analysis, education, entertainment, research, and training. Certification of sufficient accuracy of an M&S application by conducting verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) requires multifaceted knowledge and experience, and poses substantial technical and managerial challenges for researchers, practitioners, and managers. The challenges can only be met by using a very broad spectrum of approaches and expanding our horizons in VV&A. This paper presents 13 strategic directions to meet those challenges. The strategic directions provide guidelines for successful VV&A research and practice.