programs. Digital engineering streng- thens these practices by shifting the primary technical communication from a document-based to a model- based or digital approach. This shift provides nearly real-time baseline updates and data sharing across pro - grams, while maintaining configura - tion management for version control and model integrity. This model- based or digital approach allows reviews directly within this digital environment. Emerging new guidance in the draft DoW Instruction (DoWI) 5000.88 emphasizes mission outcomes and decision quality over document- driven compliance. It reinforces digi - tal engineering and mission engineer - ing as foundational practices, using integrated digital environments and ecosystems along with authoritative technical data to support systems engineering across the life cycle. It allows programs flexibility in gen - eration and communication of engi - neering evidence, while maintaining disciplined risk and configuration management. Overall, the draft po - sitions engineering as a continu - ous, model-enabled capability that supports faster and more informed acquisition decisions. What is delivered. WSE 006 is a three-day instructor-led workshop that focuses on leadership, man - agement, risk, and critical decision- making for executing a program while maintaining all necessary program - matic information in a digital ecosys - tem. Students are positioned into the WarU digital ecosystem and provided various tools (Cameo, Teamwork
Cloud, and Bricklink Studio) to experi - ence how digital acquisition supports requirements traceability, acquisition planning and execution, risk assess - ment, technical reviews (Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews), along with planning and execution for pro - gram management, systems engi - neering, logistics, financial manage - ment, and testing activities (Figure 1). During the workshop, students re - ceive a government-provided Cameo model as a Government Reference Architecture (GRA) to conduct vari - ous programmatic activities to col - lect, document, and share informa - tion while applying configuration management version control within Cameo/TW Cloud. In addition, they are provided a “splash” page with a diagram of programmatic informa - tion that each team member will use for addressing and maintaining tech - nical reviews. The workshop focuses on using model-based or digital activ - ities to collaborate across functional areas while balancing risks and mak - ing relevant cost, schedule, and per - formance decisions within the rapid prototyping scenario. From the WarU Glossary , an ar - chitecture is “the structure of com - ponents, their relationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time.” This GRA structure reduces the bar - rier to using Cameo/TW Cloud sup - port; without it, extensive manual entries would be needed into Cameo and the containment tree, requiring knowledge, skills, and proficiency with Cameo.
Unlike traditional classroom in - struction or tool-centric training, WSE 006 places students inside a com - pressed end-to-end acquisition life cycle, where they plan, design, build, test, and evaluate a system using au - thoritative digital models, and apply critical thinking to address challenges and risks encountered throughout the scenario. Rather than learn digital acquisition concepts in isolation, stu - dents actively apply them while per - forming realistic acquisition activities from concept through demonstration with hands-on exercises to equip them with the skills needed by mod - ern digitalized acquisition programs. Purpose and design. WSE 006 is structured as an application-focused capstone workshop synthesizing digital acquisition concepts with real- world acquisition execution. Students operate as members of a cross-func - tional Program Management Office. Roles include a program manager, systems engineer, digital engineer, lo - gistician, business/financial manager, and a tester to work through a rapid prototyping scenario aligned with a DoW Middle Tier acquisition pathway to develop and demonstrate an un - manned mine detection vehicle for a competitive down-select. Teams translate requirements and mission needs to establish and maintain a digital ecosystem, and they are provided with a government reference architecture within Cameo/ TW Cloud to perform programmatic activities directly in the tool, main - taining version control and applying configuration management tech - niques and practices. This reinforces
Figure 1. Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle Risk Management Plan Top 3 Risks
Probability of Occurance
Consequence 1 - Minimal
Consequence 2 - Minor
Consequence 3 - Moderate
Consequence 4 - Significant
Consequence 5 - Critical
Risk Level
Likelihood
1 2 3 4 5
Near Certainty > 80% to < = 99% Highly Likely > 60% to < = 80%
Likely
> 40% to < = 60%
Low Likelihood > 20% to < = 40%
Not Likely
> 1% to < = 20%
Source. Author
28 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER –OCTOBER 2026
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