Paper Release: Digital Engineering: Accelerating the Defense Acquisition and Development Cycle in an Era of Strategic Competition

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy the rollout for our latest report: Digital Engineering: Accelerating the Defense Acquisition and Development Cycle in an Era of Strategic Competition, authored by Heather Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, with Brian Morra, Non-Resident Visiting Fellow.

In this event, Ms. Penney discussed her findings with Dave Tremper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Acquisition Integration and Interoperability; Drake Harris, Director, ADP Integrated Systems Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin; and Jeffrey Reed, Director Of Engineering – Digital Transformation, Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) faces severe capability and capacity shortfalls. Despite the urgent need to rapidly recapitalize the force, modernization lags strategic demands. Digital engineering promises to boost these efforts. Advancements in systems engineering, design, modeling, simulation, and even production can provide benefits across the entire lifecycle of a weapon system. This includes manufacturing, operation, and sustainment.

Said more simply, implementing digital engineering practices has the potential to accelerate the development and fielding of capability. New-start defense acquisition programs can fully exploit these advantages, which will save time and resources. Digital engineering can also benefit legacy weapon systems in more focused areas like sustainment and modernization.

This report explores this crucial topic, helping provide foundational insights and explaining how and when digital engineering will yield best outcomes, while also detailing where returns will be limited.