{"id":28282,"date":"2021-02-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/03\/as-mission-capable-rates-languish-pentagon-should-embrace-digital-engineering\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:59:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:59:07","slug":"as-mission-capable-rates-languish-pentagon-should-embrace-digital-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2021\/02\/03\/as-mission-capable-rates-languish-pentagon-should-embrace-digital-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"As mission-capable rates languish, Pentagon should embrace digital engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While many Pentagon initiatives face a change of course under new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, its digital engineering strategy deserves a push forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strategy, issued in 2018 by then-Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin, aimed to help military services harness modern sustainment methods like additive manufacturing, digital twin and augmented reality. For the Department of Defense, enterprisewide implementation of these techniques would lower costs, increase weapon systems\u2019 mission-capable rates and afford flexibility in fleet modernization<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But digital engineering requires digital, 3D data \u2014 and the DoD doesn\u2019t have enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern sustainment practices hinge on the availability of what\u2019s known as the model-based definition, 3D models and digitized descriptive information for a system or component. Using computer-aided design programs, engineers can manipulate the data to enable practices like condition-based maintenance, eliminating weapon systems\u2019 unnecessary downtime. Digital data can facilitate seamless transit from original equipment manufacturers, or OEM, to procurers and sustainers in the field and at maintenance depots worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the technical data for most weapons systems remains elusive to the services and their program management offices, or PMO, or the datasets are available only in 2D documentation, such as blueprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, readiness suffers. Of 46 weapons systems reviewed by the Government Accountability Office, only three achieved annual mission-capable targets at least five times between 2011 and 2019. More than half (24) failed to meet their goal even once, according to GAO\u2019s November 2020 report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KC-13OJ Super Hercules air refueler and the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor were among the programs to miss their target all nine years. GAO cited inaccessible technical data as a contributing factor for both programs. Of the Super Hercules, the report says: \u201cThe Navy and Marine Corps were unable to obtain the technical data of the aircraft … the lack of the technical data compromises [their] ability to analyze and resolve sustainment issues.\u201d Similar concerns were raised about the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft, saying \u201ctechnical data needed for maintenance has not been readily available to the Navy.\u201d Dozens of systems, including the F-35 fighter jet<\/a>, face similar obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\t