MISSION CAPABILITIES
Systems Engineering and Architecture
Systems Engineering and Architecture
Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation
DEM&S is responsible for advancing activities involving systems engineering, digital engineering (DE), and modeling and simulation (M&S). The team develops governing policies, and advancing enhancing workforce competency, as codified in the DoD Directive 5137.02, "Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering."
Digital engineering must be the normal way to design and develop weapon systems. Together, OE and M&S are the means for the DoD to achieve the National Defense Strategy's desired end state of delivering rapid capabilities to the warfighter.
DE and M&S optimize processes to automate the design, development, and integration of systems through collaborative environments such as a Digital Engineering Ecosystem (DEE). When models mature to the point of replicating the system, developers can design and integrate more frequently, while testing earlier, more often, and more thoroughly than with the traditional DoD acquisition process. By using DE and M&S practices, designers can detect system defects earlier in the development process, saving time and money and improving overall quality.
DEM&S Drives Innovation at the First SE&A Hackathon
On May 20 and 21, the Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation (DEM&S) team successfully launched the first annual SE&A Hackathon. This collaborative event united contractors and Government representatives from OUSD(R&E) to identify opportunities to enhance critical business processes such as travel management, task tracking, and communications routing. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, DEM&S explored the realm of automation to boost accuracy and efficiency in these operations. The proposed initiatives resulting from this endeavor were presented to SE&A leadership for evaluation and potential implementation. DEM&S encourages all organizations to consider similar improvements in their workflows and business processes, with plans to revisit and expand upon this initiative on an annual basis.
Digital Engineering
Digital engineering is a cutting-edge approach that uses authoritative sources of system data and models throughout the development and life of a system. Digital engineering harnesses computational technology, modeling, analytics, and data sciences to update traditional systems engineering practices. In the face of increasing global challenges and dynamic threat environments, digital engineering is a necessary practice to support acquisition.
Modeling and Simulation
The use of models and simulations in engineering is well recognized. Simulation technology is an essential tool for engineers in all application domains. A digital model represents an actual or conceptual system that involves physics, mathematics, or logical expressions. A simulation is a method for implementing a model over time. Together models and simulations allow the Department to vet potential requirements prior to the Request for Proposal release, assess engineering change orders or program upgrades, etc. M&S can be used to assess and optimize resource usage, examine process changes, support supply-chain management routing and inventory quantities, business decisions, etc.,
DoD Digital Engineering Strategy
The DoD Digital Engineering Strategy outlines five elements necessary for the digital engineering ecosystem to thrive. These are formalizing the development and use of models, providing an authoritative source of truth, incorporating technological innovation, establishing a supporting infrastructure and environment, and transforming the culture and workforce to adopt and support digital engineering.
Digital Engineering Body of Knowledge (DEBoK)
The DEBoK is an interactive knowledge base that provides referential resources for the implementation of Digital Engineering (DE) where stakeholders can quickly build solutions predicated upon a common knowledge base containing resources, data, contracting language, metrics, training, and ecosystems and tools in a controlled manner.
Communities
- Digital Engineering, Modeling and Simulation (DEM&S) Community of Practice (CoP): The Digital Engineering Community of Practice (DEM&S CoP) provides an environment for government, industry and academia to come together and discuss emerging trends, best practices, and real-world challenges in digital engineering and modeling and simulation. Register by email: osd-sea@mail.mil | Attn: DEM&S CoP
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- Membership: DoD, Service leads, industry partners, academia, industrial associations
- Register by email: osd-sea@mail.mil | Attn: DEM&S CoP
- INCOSE Digital Engineering Information Exchange Working Group: The working group’s activities and products span the systems engineering lifecycle as it relates to Digital Engineering information inputs and outputs of ISO 15288 and 15289 digital artifacts. The working group supports the strategic objective of accelerating digital engineering adoption and the role of system engineers in this new paradigm.
- AIAA Digital Engineering Integration Committee (DEIC)
- NDIA Systems Engineering Division
- NDIA Modeling Simulation Committee
Reports to Congress
Advancing Gaming, Exercising, Modeling, and Simulation (GEMS) Capabilities Brief to the House Committee on Armed Services:
This briefing contains current and contemplated efforts to invest in and improve GEMS innovation across the analytical community within the Department of Defense.
Status of Adoption and Implementation of Digital Engineering (DE) Infrastructure and Workforce Development Within the Department of Defense Brief to the House Committee on Armed Services:
This briefing addressed an update on DE infrastructure; workforce skill development; implementation of best practices from across the Department's research and development ecosystem; efforts to increase adoption and improve the use of digital engineering across the Department and the defense industrial base; and funding provided across the Department for this effort.
Using Modeling and Simulation to Increase Speed to Market, Reduce Risk, and Foster Interoperability in the Industrial Base Brief to the House Committee on Armed Services:
This briefing addressed an update on DE infrastructure; workforce skill development; implementation of best practices from across the Department's research and development ecosystem; efforts to increase adoption and improve the use of digital engineering across the Department and the defense industrial base; and funding provided across the Department for this effort.
Additional Resources
SysML v1 to SysML v2 Model Conversion Approach
Definitions
The following definitions relating to digital engineering are drawn from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS): Additional terms are available in the DEBoK glossary
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,
Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E))
3030 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3030