Systems Engineering

The Systems Engineering program element within the Office of the Secretary of Defense is designed to advance engineering practices, standards, and workforce development across the Department of Defense (DoD). Its primary objective is to support the administration's priorities of rebuilding military capabilities and reestablishing deterrence by reforming acquisition processes, rapidly fielding emerging technologies, and strengthening the Joint Force and defense ecosystem. Funding under this program element is dedicated to research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) management support, with a focus on systems engineering, interoperability, digital engineering, software engineering, model-based systems engineering, specialty engineering, value engineering, modular open systems approaches (MOSA), standardization, and workforce development.

The largest component of this program element has goals centered on modernizing DoD engineering and technical practices. The project promotes advanced engineering principles and techniques, connects and strengthens the technical community, and develops the engineering workforce. It supports the adoption of digital engineering, modeling, and simulation to enable rapid fielding of innovative technologies. The project also advances modern Agile/DevSecOps software practices, facilitates software acquisition modernization, and improves cross-organizational collaboration. Additionally, it manages standardization processes and products to promote interoperability, reduce costs, and sustain readiness, while providing technical expertise for independent engineering assessments.

Planned activities for FY 2025 and FY 2026 under Systems Engineering include promoting open system standards and architectures, supporting model-based systems engineering (MBSE), serving as the Lead Standardization Activity for engineering specifications and standards, updating modeling and simulation strategies, and developing MOSA implementation guides. The project also aims to reduce failure modes and defects in weapon systems, identify and address gaps in engineering policies, and coordinate software engineering modernization in areas such as enterprise cloud services, software factories, and artificial intelligence applications. Workforce development is a key focus, with efforts to identify critical competencies, deploy training, and lead digital talent management initiatives across the DoD.

Mission Engineering previously supported mission engineering and integration activities, but in FY 2025, funding was realigned to the Mission Engineering and Integration (ME&I) Program Element to better reflect the functional structure within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (USD(R&E)). This change separated funding for the Office of Mission Integration (MI) from the Office of Systems Engineering and Architecture (SE&A), aligning resources with organizational responsibilities. The Mission Engineering line item supported the development and integration of mission-focused engineering solutions, but its activities and funding have now transitioned to the ME&I program element.

Engineering Architectures is a newer line item focused on advancing system-of-systems (SoS) architecture for the DoD. The project supports the development of enterprise-wide strategies to integrate existing and future systems, enhancing the Department's technological advantage in joint, multidomain operations. Key objectives include updating the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Technology Development Plan, providing systems engineering and architecture assistance to USD(A&S) and CDR USSTRATCOM, assisting in the development of the NC3 Enterprise Engineering Management Plan, and supporting Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) efforts. The project also develops policy and guidance for SoS architectures and builds a body of knowledge for enterprise architectures.

For FY 2026, Engineering Architectures plans to establish a DoD systems engineering and architecture community of practice, continue providing NC3 and CJADC2 technical assistance, develop definitions and standards for key engineering terms, and expand support to other Joint capabilities such as the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture (JCWA). The project will maintain and expand the SoS and architecture community of practice, publish guidance, and support nuclear modernization efforts through updates to the NC3 Enterprise Engineering Management Plan. These activities are intended to enable rigorous engineering and accelerated delivery of innovative mission capabilities in a rapidly changing technological environment.