COTS and performance based specifications - the blind leading the blind?

Has the abandonment of MIL testing in favour of "Performance Based Specifications" (PBS) and the plans to use Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) system components in military and commercial avionics equipment, set the scene for some serious board level "long term" reliability problems in the future. Especially with respect to the safe operation of: aircraft, marine and transportation systems, where the electronics systems will play a key role and will be expected to operate for longer periods in harsh environments. This feature, while not taking sides, is intended to alert designers, of everything from boards to boxes to the potential problems, by exploring some of the areas of concern.