Jane Edwards
The National Security Engineering Center, a MITRE-operated federally funded research and development center, has unveiled a defense acquisition framework to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative technologies to U.S. warfighters.
NSEC’s Transition Maturity Framework
MITRE said Wednesday NSEC collaborated with the Department of Defense’s Operational Energy-Innovation Directorate, or OE-I, to develop the Transition Maturity Framework, or TMaF.
TMaF aims to bridge the “valley of death” in defense innovation by providing a structured approach to acquisition that includes the use of advanced data-driven decision-making tools, collaborative processes and streamlined methodologies.
“To maintain U.S. military superiority in an increasingly dynamic global environment, the Department of Defense invests billions annually in research, development, test and evaluation. However, the path to making those investments operationally impactful often encounters significant barriers,” said Keoki Jackson, senior vice president for MITRE National Security.
“As a trusted catalyst for markets and ecosystems, MITRE leverages our zero-stake neutrality to bring stakeholders together in pre-competitive environments that accelerate innovations, ensuring they reach the warfighters who depend on advanced technologies to accomplish their missions,” Jackson added.
According to MITRE, NSEC will continue to improve TMaF by expanding its use in software-intensive capabilities. The center will also work with OE-I to drive the framework’s adoption across the Pentagon.
DOD Operational Energy-Innovation Directorate’s TMaF Adoption
MITRE said OE-I has adopted the framework as a key component of its program management and reporting processes. The directorate’s leadership uses TMaF’s data insights to monitor progress, make informed investment decisions and ensure alignment with warfighter needs.
The framework also supports the directorate’s congressional reporting and portfolio management through the Operational Energy Management and Innovation tool to help ensure accountability and transparency across operational energy investments.
“TMaF puts the power of DOD, its people and its processes, not only on the same page, but the right page and allows everyone to coordinate and move projects forward successfully. The result is next-generation technology getting into the hands of warfighters quickly,” said RuthAnne Darling, director of OE-I.
“TMaF clarifies and simplifies the processes and moves everyone collaboratively toward the common objective: state-of-the-art, fielded technology that assists the warfighter in achieving deterrence and battlefield overmatch,” Darling added.
