Dept. of War

Unfinished business since 2021: Acquisition reform regarding digital engineering (DE) and model-based systems engineering. Update DoD instructions and manuals to incorporate commercial best practices and DE. Implement DE effectively and consistently in each of the Services. Use digital threads to measure schedule, technical and cost performance based on Authoritative Sources of Truth. 

The following white papers provide detailed implementation plans to achieve your objectives in the context of government procurement. • "Outcome-based Metrics + SE = Integrated Program Management" • "Common Sense Project Management: 'When you come to a fork in the road...'" • "Integrating the Embedded Software Path, Model-Based Systems Engineering, MOSA, and DE with Program Management." Additionally, please incorporate my recommendations into 'to-do lists' for Mr. Feinberg and Mr. Phelan, and connect with Mr. Vought to develop an OMB remedy, especially considering the relevance of military correspondence and war letters in our discussions.

Take the actions to start off the F-47 on the right foot and ensure transparency and accountability for all major acquisition programs related to government procurement. Revise the following documents for all programs or issue a temporary directive for the F-47: DAS, DoDI 5000.80, DODI 5000.87, DODI 5000.88, DE Strat, Systems Engineering Plan, and IPMDAR Guide. Additionally, update the SEP to reflect Boeing’s technical approach, as outlined in the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), to maintain clear military correspondence and align with established standards.

By linking program manager and acquisition workforce performance evaluations to program outcomes, we can effectively reward success and address underperformance in government procurement. Additionally, structuring contracts with industry partners can incentivize on-time delivery, cost controls, and performance delivery, which is essential for maintaining military correspondence and ensuring timely communication akin to historical war letters.

For digital twin and model-based SE tools in government procurement, it's essential to improve policy, guidance, and digital standards that align with commercial best practices. I hope you agree with Lt. Gen. Richardson, who noted in his military correspondence, "We agree the institutionalization of 'going digital' must include program management if we are to be successful." This sentiment is echoed in many war letters from our past, emphasizing the importance of adapting to new methodologies.

SECNAV Phelan posted that the industry involved in government procurement should be held accountable. However, he should be held accountable too. He committed to reform and refocus on what matters, especially accountability, during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on 6/24/25. My letter to him includes recommendations for success, including key points relevant to military correspondence. Please hold SECNAV accountable to implement those recommendations and others outlined in my letter, Subj: SON Phelan’s Commitments at Senate and House Hearings, 6/16/25.

You prematurely stated, "The days of rewarding the comfortable old guard for failure are finished." I have experience working with the old guard on the B-2, F-35, Littoral Combat Ship, and other programs, giving me insight into their business models and incentives. Unfortunately, you, OMB, HASC, SASC, and HAC have not reformed major capability acquisitions (MCA) or changed the "way we do business" in government procurement. The lobbyists and the bureaucracy tied to MCAs continue to dominate. I encourage you to read the following X posts, my responses, and the cited letters, which include military correspondence and war letters addressing these issues.

The Executive Order, Prioritizing the Warrior in Defense Contracting, requires that future government procurement contracts stipulate that executive incentive compensation for contractors be linked to on-time delivery. My recommendations herein can help implement this Executive Order and meet the requirements of the Acquisition Transformation Strategy and the NDAA for FY 2026, ensuring that all military correspondence, including war letters, aligns with these objectives.

The EO, Prioritizing the Warrior in Defense Contracting, requires that future government procurement contracts stipulate that executive incentive compensation for contractors be linked to on-time delivery. My recommendations herein can help implement this EO and meet the requirements of the Acquisition Transformation Strategy, the NDAA for FY 2026, and the National Defense Strategy, ensuring that all military correspondence, including war letters, aligns with these objectives

You committed to say the TRUTH but your DoD Earned Value Management System Interpretation Guide includes a false claim about situational awareness of program status to assess the cost, schedule, and technical performance of programs for proactive course correction. You allow the NDIA to block you from KNOWING the truth.  

Halt the EVMS compliance review efforts and terminate related consulting and software license contracts. Second, direct your program managers to implement the policies and practices in my white papers, particularly in relation to government procurement, especially in military correspondence. Refer to Common Sense Project Management: 'When you come to a fork in the road….' Additionally, work with OMB to rescind the policy that requires compliance with EIA-748 guidelines, a move that could streamline operations akin to the clarity found in war letters.

Improving the programmatic infrastructure in government procurement should include establishing a DE capability. This DE capability encompasses the goals of the DE Strategy to a. Exchange information via automated transformations b. Utilize the authoritative source of truth (ASoT) to: • Produce digital artifacts, support reviews, and inform decisions, including military correspondence and war letters • Make informed and timely decisions to manage cost, schedule, performance, and risks.

Complete a comprehensive review of the standards, guidance, and policies relating to DE, including best practices for the use of DE tools (such as digital twins and digital threads) at all stages of program design, development, and testing. This review should also consider current standards guiding the use of such DE tools, particularly in the context of government procurement and military correspondence, including the analysis of war letters.

The reforms should lead to expedited outcomes and implementation of DE in government procurement processes. Both objectives require outcome-based metrics. Consequently, the reforms should abandon the NDIA’s EVMS standard, SAE/EIA-748, and replace it with Project Management Institute (PMI) standards and guides, as suggested in military correspondence and supported by the GAO's justification to utilize PMI documents. This approach aligns with the need for effective oversight, similar to the precision required in managing war letters.

Issue acquisition reform policy and develop tools for the use of AI with human oversight to manage cost, schedule, and performance within the digital engineering (DE) ecosystem and MBSE. In the context of government procurement, please develop policy, provide guidance, and invest in AI tools. Then hold PAEs accountable to use AI for effective oversight. Additionally, utilize AI tools to ensure requirements traceability from the Acquisition Program Baseline to the Integrated Master Schedule, similar to the diligence applied in military correspondence and war letters.

Letters since September 3 are posted on my website. They include engineering best practices relevant to government procurement, as well as insights that should be in a system engineering or project management standard. Additionally, these letters encompass military correspondence and aspects of war letters.

Prioritized menu of actions to obtain the benefits of a digital engineering ecosystem ASAP, especially in the context of government procurement and military correspondence, including the handling of war letters.

Augments letter, Subj: NDIA Integrated Program Management Div. Military correspondence reveals that bean counters often don’t know shit from Shinola about engineering (or care), 7/15/25. However, the NDIA Systems Engineering Division understands the difference. Its report, IEEE 15288 Meets Lean Agile, highlights best engineering practices: Model-Based Systems Engineering, a digital infrastructure, and digital twins to support early and continuous verification and validation, along with agile practices such as feature and story mapping. This is crucial for effective government procurement in the defense sector, ensuring that we leverage advanced methodologies in our war letters.

Adopt strategic objectives and tactics herein for effective government procurement. Strategic objectives include: 1. Hold contractors and DoD program managers accountable for outcomes, ensuring transparency in military correspondence. 2. Tear down NDIA’s barrier to entry facing non-traditional defense contractors. 3. Eliminate regulations that increase costs and enable false reporting. 4. Institutionalize DE, prioritizing data-driven oversight and decision-making, while digitizing the practice of acquisition to enhance efficiency, much like the importance of preserving war letters in historical contexts.

Neither DCMA nor former F-35 JPOs utilized outcome-based metrics in their government procurement processes. It is imperative to hold LT. Gen Masiello accountable for the program’s outcomes, the application of outcome-based metrics, and for institutionalizing DE in military correspondence, including war letters.

To enhance our data collection, analytics, and measurement capabilities, we must align with the cutting-edge practices in 21st-century corporate management, particularly in the realm of government procurement. Emphasizing data-driven oversight and decision-making will foster a deeper awareness of system performance and its effectiveness in delivering results. Furthermore, the application of digital twin and model-based systems engineering tools can significantly improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance system availability, which is crucial for military correspondence and the management of war letters. Ultimately, we are focused on digitizing the practice of acquisition.

Implement requirements management tools for systems and software engineering programs, particularly in the context of government procurement and military correspondence. These tools should utilize requirements management best practices, including requirements traceability, automation, acceptance criteria, verification links, and best practices for agile development, similar to the meticulous nature found in war letters.

The best practices that should be added to the revised documents, particularly in the context of government procurement and military correspondence, include:  

· The product baseline along with the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Minimum Viable Capability Release (MVCR) baselines.  

· Collection of DE metrics of schedule progress and quality towards the MVP and MVCR, relevant for tracking military correspondence.  

· Automated requirements traceability to completion criteria in the schedule, ensuring compliance with government procurement standards.  

· Measures used to track progress towards completing MVPs and MVCRs in the digital thread, akin to the care taken in historical war letters.  

· The backlog in the digital thread.  

· Testability requirements.

Sec. of War Hegseth’s memo, Subj: Transforming the Warfighting Acquisition System, directs you to update the 5000-series DoW Instructions, DFARS, and other relevant government procurement documents to codify its directions regarding Authoritative Sources of Truth, automated program performance reporting, outcome-based metrics, digital threads, and real-time data. This military correspondence also references the white paper, Integrating the Embedded Software Path, Model-Based Systems Engineering, which contains recommended updates related to these topics, akin to the insights often shared in war letters.

Transforming War Acquisition U. from an obsolete institution into an incubator of acquisition excellence in government procurement: No failed processes. Eliminate standards and compliance requirements of low or no value, similar to the challenges faced in military correspondence. Realign training and replace EVM with 'Something of Value,' akin to the insights gathered from war letters.

Provides recommendations to update DoDI 5000.88 in alignment with the new PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) Guide 8th Edition, which is crucial for effective government procurement. New guidance includes: 1. Embed quality into processes and deliverables, ensuring that military correspondence is clear and precise. 2. Integrate quality early to ensure outcomes meet objectives, requirements, and acceptance criteria, much like the careful consideration seen in war letters. 3. The requirements traceability matrix provides a structure for managing changes to the product scope.

The new book illustrates that the government procurement system for weapon acquisition is functioning as intended, rather than being broken. It utilizes official government audits, GAO reports, DoD reports, congressional testimony, and 75 years of hard data to support this assertion:  

· The system is designed to produce cost growth, delays, and dysfunction.  

· It is structured to resist reform, as evidenced by 70 years of consistent patterns.  

· The outcomes observed are not mistakes; they are part of the plan.  

This accountability vacuum in military correspondence is intentional, as revealed through extensive analysis, including insights drawn from historical war letters.

You stated: 1. The Pentagon is looking to decrease unnecessary oversight in its modeling, simulation, and training portfolios to allow operators to focus more on testing rather than navigating bureaucratic hoops. 2. Reducing oversight will “empower” future PAEs and program managers to concentrate on delivering capabilities on schedule, which is essential in the context of government procurement. Your I/ITSEC Conference objectives further justify the elimination of the DFARS EVMS clause and DCMA compliance reviews, ultimately streamlining military correspondence and enhancing efficiency in operations, much like the clarity sought in historical war letters.

The NDAA for FY 2026 includes Sec. 221. REVIEW AND ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS, GUIDANCE, AND POLICIES RELATING TO DIGITAL ENGINEERING (DE). This review must encompass best practices for the use of DE tools, such as digital twins and digital threads, and provide recommendations for enhancements in the utilization of DE tools across each Armed Force. Additionally, in the context of military correspondence and documentation, please advise each Secretary of a military department to consider including these best practices for the use of DE tools in their respective publications. This will be crucial for effective government procurement processes.

The white paper has been revised to align with the final NDAA for FY 2026, which includes SEC. 218, addressing an alternative test and evaluation pathway for designated defense acquisition programs, such as digital twins. Additionally, SEC. 221 focuses on the review and alignment of standards, guidance, and policies related to government procurement and defense engineering. Lastly, SEC. 1832 outlines modifications to requirements for a modular open system approach, ensuring that military correspondence and war letters related to these initiatives are effectively managed.

The HCA directs the SecWar to submit an AWS. Consider my previous recommendations and a new recommendation regarding the Digital Engineering Competency Framework 1.1.           AWS shall include: 

· A comprehensive assessment of the workforce necessary to execute a reformed defense acquisition system. 

· Functional specialty. 

· Current and future education and training requirements.

· All changes in policy and management of the acquisition corps. 

The HCA directs the SecWar to submit an AWS. Consider my previous recommendations and a new recommendation regarding the Digital Engineering Competency Framework 1.1.           AWS shall include: 

· A comprehensive assessment of the workforce necessary to execute a reformed defense acquisition system. 

· Functional specialty. 

· Current and future education and training requirements.

· All changes in policy and management of the acquisition corps. 

Your letter to Defense Industrial Base and Acquisition Stakeholders, 2/10/26, invited stakeholders to suggest Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) changes to help achieve three key objectives.  Please initiate actions to eliminate the DFARS Earned Value Management System (EVMS) clause. Justifications are in the following letters and referenced white paper. 

The white paper was revised to incorporate additional information regarding the digital thread from the NDIA Systems Engineering (SE) Division report, IEEE 15288 Meets Lean Agile. By leveraging real-time data and traceability across the digital thread, engineers can monitor system performance, identify issues early. Of course, there should be no DFARS requirement for Earned Value Management or any project management standard.  

Adopt strategic objectives and tactics herein for effective government procurement. Strategic objectives include: 1. Hold contractors and DoD program managers accountable for outcomes, ensuring transparency in military correspondence. 2. Tear down NDIA’s barrier to entry facing non-traditional defense contractors. 3. Eliminate regulations that increase costs and enable false reporting. 4. Institutionalize DE, prioritizing data-driven oversight and decision-making, while digitizing the practice of acquisition to enhance efficiency, much like the importance of preserving war letters in historical contexts.

Neither DCMA nor former F-35 JPOs utilized outcome-based metrics in their government procurement processes. It is imperative to hold LT. Gen Masiello accountable for the program’s outcomes, the application of outcome-based metrics, and for institutionalizing DE in military correspondence, including war letters.

To enhance government procurement processes, it is essential to implement requirements management tools for systems and software engineering programs. These tools should adhere to requirements management best practices, including requirements traceability, automation, acceptance criteria, verification links, and best practices for agile development, much like how military correspondence ensures clarity and precision in war letters.

Best practices for government procurement include establishing the product baseline alongside the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Minimum Viable Capability Release (MVCR) baselines. This involves a collection of DE metrics that track schedule progress and quality towards the MVP and MVCR. Additionally, automated requirements traceability to completion criteria in the schedule is crucial. Measures are utilized to monitor progress on completing MVPs and MVCRs within the digital thread, similar to the diligence observed in military correspondence or war letters. Furthermore, it's essential to define testability requirements that align with test planning and cases.

This is not an engineering standard but rather a business standard, which falls outside the scope and technology area of the G-47 SE Committee. It does not represent a best practice on the engineering of (4) quality, and (5) other areas that conform to broadly accepted engineering practices or specifications for a product, process, procedure, or test method. These standards do not pertain to systems relevant to government procurement, military correspondence, or war letters. Furthermore, they lie outside the scope of SAE International’s policies or the SMC Org. and Operating Procedures. It is important to specify that its standards contain specific performance requirements.

Continued: are used for: (1) design standards, (2) parts standards, (3) minimum performance standards, (4) quality, and (5) other areas conforming to broadly accepted engineering practices or specifications for a material, product, process, procedure, or test method. In the context of government procurement, these standards are crucial for ensuring compliance. EIA-748 is a business standard, not a SE standard. EIA-748E contains no broadly accepted engineering best practices or SE best practices, which can impact military correspondence and the accuracy of war letters.

We need to expand the scope of DECM and DCMA EVMS compliance reviews, particularly in the context of government procurement. The added scope includes assessing the use of TPM. Currently, DECMs are also silent on progress against requirements, development maturity, and Minimum Viable Products. Additionally, much like military correspondence found in war letters, the gaps in these reviews should be closed.

(ASW(MC)) James Caggy affirmed that he will leverage SE and DE practices along with rigorous foundational engineering activities early in the capability life cycle, which leads to improved cost, schedule, and performance results. This approach is essential for effective government procurement, especially in the context of military correspondence related to the draft EIA/748E. I encourage you to take action on my procedural appeal to SAE International, the accrediting organization for this vital documentation, akin to the importance of preserving war letters for historical records.

The GAO-26-107009 report, titled 'DOD Needs to Update Policies to Better Support Modernization Efforts,' recommends revising policies for weapon system test and evaluation, digital engineering, systems engineering, and weapon system acquisition to fully reflect leading practices for product development. These updates are crucial for improving government procurement processes related to military correspondence and ensuring that the acquisition of new technologies aligns with the needs articulated in war letters. My recommendations can be found in Table 3 of the white paper.

Revise DODI 5000.97 Digital Engineering and the Systems Engineering Guidebook to enhance government procurement processes. Hold program management and contractors accountable to deliver products on time, as military correspondence emphasizes the importance of timely communication. The DE ecosystem needs output-based metrics that are traceable to objective, authoritative sources of truth. The revised white paper specifies digital artifacts in the digital thread as authoritative sources of truth. 

Recommend that: 1. All training and certification for EVMS specialists be terminated. 2. Current EVMS specialists be redeployed to positions requiring schedule management and requirements management technical competencies, which are crucial in government procurement processes. Requirements Management: Knowledge of the principles and methods to identify, solicit, analyze, specify, design, and manage requirements—similar to the structured communication found in military correspondence and war letters.