Systems Engineering and Architecture

About Office of SE&A

The Office of Systems Engineering and Architecture (SE&A) develops and promotes innovative engineering principles and techniques to advance DoD engineering practice. SE&A develops policy, guidance, standards, and best practice resources; manages DoD Standards; facilitates engineering-related communities of practice; and develops the defense engineering workforce by refining competency models and curricula. SE&A applies engineering and risk management expertise to inform decisions and improve system-of-systems architectures to reduce integration risk in mission-enabling systems.

Mr. Thomas W. Simms

Principal Deputy Executive Director, SE&A

Mr. Thomas Simms is the Principal Deputy Executive Director, Systems Engineering and Architecture (PDED, SE&A). He leads the effort to advance the engineering practice within the DoD to include systems engineering, software engineering, digital engineering, and specialty engineering areas such as reliability, manufacturing, and human systems integration.

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SE&A Organizational Focus Areas

Policy & Workforce (PW)

Leads policy, guidance, and workforce development initiatives for the DoD engineering and technical workforce.

Systems Engineering (SE)

Focuses on modernizing SE practice, including using modular open systems approaches to build systems that can be upgraded to incorporate new technology and respond to emerging threats.

Digital Engineering Modeling and Simulation (DEM&S)

Promotes digital engineering transformation and implementation, promoting the use of models and simulations across the DoD life cycle.

Software Engineering (SWE)

Focuses on adopting modern Agile/DevSecOps software practices and improves cross-organizational collaboration to modernize DoD software processes, capability, and expertise.

Specialty Engineering (SpE)

Emphasizes improving delivery of advanced capability to warfighters by modernizing reliability and maintainability, manufacturing and quality, system safety, human systems integration, and value engineering practices.

Defense Standardization Program (DSP)

Identifies, develops, manages, and provides access to standardization processes and products for the defense community to promote interoperability, reduce cost, and sustain readiness.