Main Subcommittee Category: Policy, Standards, Management, and Acquisition

How would you label your submission?: Government

Abstract:

Digital transformation within the Agile Combat Support Directorate Simulators Division (WNS) is a strategic endeavor in line with the Air Force Materiel Command's (AFMC) initiatives for Digital Materiel Management (DMM) and the United States Air Force's (USAF) overarching reoptimization agenda for Great Power Competition (GPC). This paper examines the ongoing digital transformation efforts within WNS, which commenced with the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Implementation Project, underpinned by the pursuit of a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to acquisition. Through this project, stakeholders and processes conducive to model-based support in sustainment endeavors were identified, catalyzing a broader digital transformation within the division. Models have proven instrumental in informing various decision-making processes, such as source selection and system design evaluation, while also identifying common architectural elements across simulators. These endeavors, primarily supporting the Simulation Common Architecture, Requirements, and Standards (SCARS) initiative and the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) Program, exemplify the potential of models and digital artifacts to streamline training systems sustainment programs and foster enterprise-level portfolio management within WNS.

Expanding upon these foundational efforts, this paper outlines WNS's planned initiatives to address key DMM objectives from a data-driven perspective, including fostering a digital-first culture, devising digital strategies, fortifying data structures and security, enhancing tool accessibility, bolstering workforce training, and modernizing IT infrastructure. Through this comprehensive approach, WNS endeavors to align with AFMC's DMM goals and contribute meaningfully to the USAF's broader digital engineering strategy, ultimately enhancing warfighter readiness and operational agility in the era of great power competition.

Keywords: OPEN ARCHITECTURE

Additional Keywords not in the list above: Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Digital Engineering, Digital Materiel Management (DMM), Sustainment

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Mr. Timothy Smith