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Digital Engineering

Digital Engineering

DoD Advances Digital Engineering Practice

DoD Advances Digital Engineering Practice

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires robust engineering practices and modern weapon systems to defeat adversaries. To remain competitive, the DoD is adopting digital engineering practices in developing defense systems.

According to Philomena Zimmerman, Digital Engineering lead within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), digital engineering revolutionizes the way the Department designs, develops, delivers, operates, and sustains complex systems. Rather than relying on traditional document based practices, digital engineering allows program stakeholders to communicate, collaborate, and make decisions in a digital ecosystem. “By digitally connecting people, processes, data, and capabilities,” said Zimmerman, “we transform the way we engineer the systems and capabilities we deliver to our warfighters.”

“By digitally connecting people, processes, data, and capabilities, we transform the way we engineer the systems and capabilities we deliver to our warfighters.”

Philomena Zimmerman
Director, Engineering Tools and Environments,
Department of Defense

Military Departments and DoD agencies are building on the 2018 DoD Digital Engineering Strategy by continually developing how they will accomplish the transformation. They shared the following perspectives and goals.

The Department of the Army is committed to providing soldiers with a decisive advantage by using digital engineering to develop, field, and sustain the world’s best equipment. The Army prioritizes data that underpin Army warfighting system designs and uses modern data analyses to automate processes and optimize designs in ways never before achievable. The automation and optimization incorporate common modular approaches that enable flexibility during the development process, allow for future modernization, and support in-theatre system configuration changes. As the Army Chief Systems Engineer, Jeannette Evans-Morgis is bringing together stakeholders throughout the Army to realize the Army’s Digital Thread, which will connect activities and allow data sharing from initial intelligence gathering, through system concept, development, sustainment and divestiture, while bolstering the workforce with improved skills and tools. The Army is developing digital engineering policy and implementation guidance to provide a governance backbone for each activity.

“A world-class engineering culture requires an engineering capability that adapts and mitigates evolving threats faster than the opposition can produce them.”

Paul Mann
Chief Engineer,
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition

The Department of the Navy embraces digital engineering to deliver superior capability and agility. According to Mr. Paul Mann, Chief Engineer to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, “a world-class engineering culture requires an engineering capability that adapts and mitigates evolving threats faster than the opposition can produce them. The tools we exploit for digital engineering enable us to effectively manage system-of-systems design complexity. Digital engineering promotes greater integration, interoperability, and future upgradability.” The Navy and Marine Corps Digital Systems Engineering Transformation Strategy (2020) specifies activities to enhance the Navy’s engineering acquisition practices. The provides a common application across the Navy and Marine Corps. It encompasses provision and access to digital models and data applied in a Model-Based Systems Engineering approach, which improves understanding, quality, consistency and timely delivery of warfighter capability across all domains, and across all stages of the program lifecycle.

“Digital engineering will re-baseline the way we do business.”

Kristen Baldwin
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering

The Department of the Air Force Digital Campaign is a coordinated effort to move the activities of the Air Force acquisition enterprise, and related government and industry, toward modern digital capabilities and processes. According to Ms. Kristen Baldwin, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology and Engineering, “we’re moving away from paper deliverables to a more dynamic iterative, digital artifact-based process. Digital engineering will re-baseline the way we do business.” Moving beyond overarching strategy and vision, the DAF has released practical guidance and best practices to provide an initial point of departure for executing programs, known as the Air Force “Digital Building Code.” The Digital Campaign has also produced acquisition “enablers” such as recommended contracting language, functional training curriculums, and modeling style guides. Air Force includes these in a Digital Guide available through the All Partners Access Network (APAN).

“We are committed to digital engineering because it maximizes the effectiveness of our forces and will ensure the success of our national defense for years to come.”

Philomena Zimmerman
Director, Engineering Tools and Environments,
Department of Defense

The Department sees significant leadership support at the agency and program level as well. “We are seeing the benefits of digital engineering,” Zimmerman said. For example, model-based digital engineering approaches enable the evaluation of thousands of design concepts before a program even starts. Digital engineering leads to more accurate and complete requirements, architectures, and design products by establishing a continuum of digital products that evolve and can be reused. Programs can perform prototyping and developmental systems testing virtually, which accelerates the discovery of defects to earlier in the development timeline. While these successes are accompanied by challenges, the Department continues to use the digital tools and techniques in practical ways. Zimmerman concluded, “We are committed to digital engineering because it maximizes the effectiveness of our forces and will ensure the success of our national defense for years to come.”

Suggested Reading

Photo of womans hands typing on laptop

Digital Engineering Strategy

DoD Digital Engineering Strategy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, 2018.

Digital Modernization Strategy

DoD Digital Modernization Strategy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, 2019.

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,
Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E))
3030 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3030