Ireland Degges
Digital engineering is a method of product development that uses digital modeling to inform the final version of a technology. Mark Kitz, program executive officer for command, control, communications-tactical for the U.S. Army, sees it as a “happy medium” that could reduce prototyping costs and evaluation timelines and is “critical to defining the future” of Army command posts.
“Digital engineering offers an opportunity for us to evolve and iterate and for industry to prove to the government that you can evolve and iterate with us as our requirements change,” he said during a panel at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Army Summit last week.
This approach can help reduce risks associated with tight budgets and timelines for science and technology programs, which sometimes result in prototypes that are not “as well thought out as they can be” before they are sent to acquisition partners, said Dr. Don Reago, executive director of the Research and Technology Integration Directorate at the Army’s C5ISR Center.
“You see acquisition to go through cycle redevelopment, and I think digital engineering principles will be applied to help in a cost effective way,” he said.
The XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle initiative, said Kitz, is an example of a program in which digital engineering could be applied.
Clif Basnight, vice president of strategic technologies at Ultra Intelligence & Communications, agreed that this method could be useful for integrating the various systems of the XM30, but called attention to the potential “trap” of bringing the wrong amount of digital engineering into the information domain.
If a balance is achieved, Basnight said, digital engineering could be a major asset for incorporating the physical components of various platforms and C5ISR devices.
Though data is intertwined with digital engineering practices, Nicholaus Saacks, deputy program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, noted that the service branch is still “catching up on” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth’s goal of becoming a data-centric force. Recent directives on software and digital engineering, he continued, have laid some of the groundwork for continued progress.
From a digital engineering perspective achieving data centricity means working toward a state where cloud tools “are all about the data, and the data behind the digital engineering models can move from tool to tool, whether that’s between companies or a company and the Army or between different parts of the Army,” he explained.
Kitz identified three areas – digital competency within the workforce, soliciting proposals and capability integration – that require more investment as the Army expands its use of digital engineering.
Model validation is another thing the Army should consider, said Reago. With industry tools being a key part of “the future of this technology phase,” it is important for the service branch to make sure the models are adequate before using them to make decisions.
Saacks noted that model validation ties into the workforce and training components of digital engineering.
Get even more insights on the Department of Defense’s efforts to modernize at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Air Force Summit on July 23! To learn more and register to attend the event, which will bring together top Air Force officials and industry leaders, click here.
