Digital engineering is gaining traction in the U.S.Department of Defense(DoD)as a strategy to enhance system flexibility,address obsolescence,and reduce defects in system design.Despite this,there is no unified definition or framework for digital engineering across DoD and its contractors.This lack of standardization creates challenges in implementing digital engineering practices consistently.To address this,a deeper understanding of existing frameworks is essential.

The research utilizes various government publications,memorandums,presentations,journals,and conference proceedings.It also incorporates insights from systems engineering and defense industry association reports to understand the scope and evolution of digital engineering in the defense sector.By analyzing these sources,the study aims to identify common themes and gaps in the current digital engineering methodologies.

Efforts to formalize a unified digital engineering framework face challenges due to the complexity of integrating diverse technological solutions.Moreover,the evolving nature of engineering requirements within the defense sector means that digital engineering frameworks must be adaptable.This research explores the current state of digital engineering and provides recommendations for developing a more cohesive framework to guide future DoD projects and collaborations with contractors.