Modeling and Simulation Support

The PE 0308601N: Modeling & Simulation Support program is managed by the Navy Modeling and Simulation Office (NMSO) and is a key element of the Navy's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) portfolio. The primary goal of this program is to provide technical and management initiatives that bring organization, focus, and efficiency to the development and use of modeling and simulation (M&S) across the Department of the Navy (DON). NMSO acts as the central authority for the formulation and implementation of M&S policy, ensuring alignment with Department of Defense (DoD) technical frameworks and facilitating Navy representation in joint and interagency M&S efforts.

Core Services are a foundational component of this program, providing leadership, planning, program and financial management, and execution oversight for all NMSO activities. The objective of Core Services is to ensure the creation and maintenance of robust, credible synthetic environments that accurately represent naval platforms and systems, predict operational outcomes, and inform decision-making. This includes developing and promulgating M&S policies, standards, and best practices, as well as ensuring the discoverability and reusability of M&S support plans and data across the Navy enterprise. Core Services also coordinate with other Services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Staff, and other agencies to promote interoperability and composability.

Community Services focus on providing M&S community-wide services, digital ecosystems, and technical exchanges. The main objectives are to develop and maintain M&S plans and standards, produce verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) handbooks, and create procurement guidance and digital engineering strategic goals. Community Services also support the discovery and reuse of M&S assets, enhance collaboration among subject matter experts, and promote the use of digital engineering environments such as the Naval Integrated Modeling Environment (N-IME). These efforts are intended to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of M&S activities, facilitate asset sharing, and ensure that best practices and standards are widely adopted across the Navy and DON.

Community Experiments and Prototypes are designed to advance M&S capabilities and technologies through the development and execution of experiments and prototypes. The objectives include determining the feasibility and applicability of innovative technical approaches, supporting the development of prototype tools for operationally relevant M&S products, and addressing service-unique requirements for efficiency, effectiveness, and interoperability. This area emphasizes the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into simulation environments, the development of open standards and interfaces, and the enhancement of Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) simulation interoperability. These efforts support Navy acquisition and warfighting priorities, including the implementation of the Naval Operational Architecture (NOA) and digital engineering initiatives.

Project 9999: Congressional Adds for FY 2025 includes investment in a Modeling and Simulation Toolkit. The specific objectives of this congressional add are to initiate a digital engineering capability prototype that streamlines M&S workflows, demonstrate interoperability among previously stove-piped M&S ecosystems, and create a digital thread to connect siloed data across engineering disciplines. This toolkit is intended to modernize Navy M&S capabilities, improve integration and prediction of complex system outcomes, and support the broader goals of M&S modernization campaigns.

The acquisition strategy for PE 0308601N is non-ACAT (Acquisition Category), focusing on enabling efficient M&S use by minimizing duplication and maximizing reuse of M&S assets and data. The program is designed to be scalable and applicable across the Department of the Navy, supporting open, affordable, and rapid integrated M&S capability development. It also synergizes with other funded efforts, such as Advanced Combat Systems Technology and Modeling & Simulation Support in other Navy accounts.