Sec. 221. Review and alignment of standards, guidance, and policies relating to digital engineering
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Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary of a military department, in coordination with the officials specified in subsection (c), shall complete a comprehensive review of the standards, guidance, and policies relating to digital engineering within the covered Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of that Secretary. Each review under paragraph
(1)shall include, with respect to the covered Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned, the following: A review of the reference architectures, standards, and best practices for the use of digital engineering tools (including digital twins and digital threads) as in effect at the time of the review, including standards for the use of such tools at all stages of program design, development, and testing. Identification of the current standards guiding the use of such digital engineering tools, at all stages of program design, development, and testing. Assessment of— the extent to which the use of such standards and related governance structures is consistent across the covered Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned; and the level of interoperability of such standards across such Armed Forces. Identification of best practices for digital engineering within each such Armed Force. Recommendations for improvements to the use of digital engineering tools in each such Armed Force. Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary of a military department completes the review required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop and implement a standard reference architecture to guide the use of, and best practices for, digital engineering for program design, development, and testing within each covered Armed Force under the jurisdiction of that Secretary. Each reference architecture shall include— a framework and clear requirements for developing and deploying digital engineering tools across program lifecycles; defined standards for data management and modeling; and consideration for either consensus-based standards or nonconsensus-based standards, depending on what is determined to be in the best interests of the government based on the ability to adopt such standards quickly and prevent technology vendor lock. Not less frequently than once every three years following implementation of the standard reference architecture required under paragraph (1), but ending on September 30, 2034, each Secretary of a military department shall— conduct periodic reviews of the reference architecture to ensure it effectively addresses advancements in technology and evolving operational needs; and if necessary, modify the reference architecture to address such advancements and needs. Before a reference architecture may be implemented under this subsection, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, shall— review and approve the reference architecture; and submit certification of such approval to the Secretary of the military department concerned. Based on the reviews conducted under paragraph (3), the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, shall— identify and develop recommendations regarding areas in which further standardization of reference architectures across the covered Armed Forces may be feasible; and submit such recommendations to the Secretaries of the military departments. The officials specified in this subsection are the following: The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. In this section: The term covered Armed Forces means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. The term reference architecture means an authoritative source of information about a specific subject area that guides and constrains the instantiations of multiple architectures and solutions, as described in the guidance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense titled Reference Architecture Description , dated June 2010, or any successor to such guidance.