Mission Engineering and Integration (ME&I)

Mission Description and Budget Item Justification

Advanced Analysis and Capability Development (A2CD): Continues the execution of advanced analysis under the JLE initiative and development and use of an advanced hardware, software, and Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information/Special Access Program (TS/SCI/SAP) network architecture to conduct fully informed analysis, experimentation, and process improvement to accelerate the Department’s capability development and fielding efforts. Effort focuses on two areas. 1. Joint Lethality Engineering (JLE) (formerly designated as Advanced Concept Development): Research and analysis efforts to solve specific critical military challenges and drive Department investment decisions that enhance the effectiveness of systems against adversarial threats. Activities span across all security levels, domains, and Service warfighting architectures. Additional classified information available upon request. (**FY 2026 only; in FY 2027 realigning to MDJO PE 0604791D8Z) 2. Joint Capability Development Environment (JCDE): Advanced Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Technology and Tool Development and Modeling and Simulation Big Play – have been consolidated into an effort entitled Joint Capability Development Environment (JCDE) to provide a more unified and efficient development approach, afforded by previous accomplishments; advances in fully informed, all domain modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities; and improved analysis and experimentation methods. JCDE provides a hardware, software, and TS/SCI/SAP network architecture designed to accelerate the Department’s ability to conduct rapid capability development and fielding. The JCDE provides industry, the DoW, FFRDC/UARCs, and international partners access to advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and a multi-level security (MLS) enabled data/knowledge repository to enable rigorous, rapid analysis and experimentation in support of capability development and military utility analysis and experimentation. The JCDE also includes a development environment that enables the continuous creation and improvement of advanced M&S tools and corresponding analysis/experimentation processes.

Mission Engineering and Integration is a strategically driven, mission-focused framework designed to synchronize concepts, requirements, research and engineering, budget, and programs across the DoW, integrating cross-Service capabilities to deliver timely and accurate end-to-end mission effects. It performs the following functions: • Carries out responsibilities described in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2017, Section 855 (Mission Integration Management) by conducting rigorous mission engineering activities to identify and prioritize investments in capabilities with the greatest potential to meet current and future warfighting needs, address warfighting gaps and joint operational problems, and enable Joint Force interoperability and integration. • Executes a variety of Joint Force Integration Mission Engineering analyses and studies in support of the National Defense Strategy—aligned with Defense Planning Scenarios and Key Operational Problems—that evaluate the mission impacts of integrating new technologies and capabilities into critical warfighter missions. • Harnesses modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and advanced techniques to develop and analyze critical Joint Mission Engineering Threads (METs)/“Kill Webs” in operational scenarios, enabling DoW leaders to make informed technology investment decisions. • Develops digital, reusable, enterprise-level Joint METs that are used to assess and evaluate system-of-systems dependencies and risks in executing end-to-end missions. • Maintains the Mission Engineering Guide and related guidance, and leads the Mission Engineering Practitioners Forum to share lessons learned, pain points, and advance the state of the practice of Mission Engineering. • Increases collaboration with industry by utilizing technical information exchange agreements to share sensitive data. These efforts identify material solutions that address operational gaps and mission requirements, building public-private partnerships that inform technology, modernization, research, and applied engineering investments.

Assess warfighter gaps and operational problems to align technology investments and accelerate transition of joint capabilities. Provide analytic recommendations to senior leaders to inform defense budget priorities.