On 10 September, Chief Architecting and Engineering at NCIA’s Chief Technology Office, Dan Meadows, joined a panel discussion alongside peers from industry and the UK Ministry of Defence. The panel, entitled ‘Digital Engineering, an Enabler for the Integrated Force Model,’ facilitated deep discussion about the need for digital engineering and the opportunities and challenges posed by it, as well as how digital engineering can enable the delivery of integrated, multi-domain forces, and more resilient and mission-ready capabilities and platforms.
NCIA is championing a unified digital engineering transformation, which will modernize and harmonize NATO-wide ways of working. By aligning, the Alliance will benefit from embedded data-centric and model-based systems engineering practices and tools, enabling faster delivery, greater efficiency, and increased agility. The foundations for this are being set in 2025 with implementation of digital engineering capabilities to launch in 2026.
"Digital Engineering is fundamentally about building a common language and connecting the dots – ensuring clarity, consistency, coherence, and re-use throughout our capability development and service delivery lifecycles," explains Dan Meadows. "It enables everyone, from end-users and portfolio managers to architects and industry partners, to work collaboratively on the same page, and it dramatically improves our ability to deliver in the context of today’s growing demand, urgency and complexity."
Working hand in hand with industry continues to be a pillar driving NCIA forward and supporting NCIA’s delivery of innovation and solutions required by NATO. By collaborating with industry to accelerate and support the digital engineering initiative, NCIA will build the strategy, processes, systems and skills to sustain long-term impact across all corners of the Alliance.