Digital Twins Interoperability: Key for Connected Govt Operations

Government agencies increasingly face pressure to manage complex missions, respond quickly to emerging threats, and coordinate across departments. However, when digital systems don’t work well together, accuracy is compromised, which can skew outputs or delay decision-making.

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5000.97, released in December 2023, places a greater focus on interoperability across DoD digital engineering. These instructions recognize the importance of systems that work together within the digital ecosystem. This is particularly crucial when it comes to digital twins, as they rely on vast resources for accurate modeling and real-time visibility.

Digital twins interoperability is vital for creating connected operations that support reliable missions and enhance efficiency.

What Are Digital Twins and What Is Interoperability?

A digital twin is a dynamic, constantly updated virtual replica of a physical system. It integrates data feeds, sensors, and analytics to simulate performance, predict failures, and support decisions. The system can also monitor individual assets under evolving conditions, whether that’s tracking ammunition on the battlefield or analyzing equipment wear for predictive maintenance.

Instead of operating in isolation, digital twins connect across systems and departments to create a unified ecosystem where data flows securely and leaders gain a complete picture of mission-critical environments. “The digital twins in the DoD ecosystem are vital for weapon systems, logistics, maintenance, and readiness,” said Brian Schmidt, co-chair of the DTC Aerospace & Defense Working Group.

Why Interoperability Is Critical for Government and DoD

For the DoD and other federal agencies, interoperability turns digital twins from isolated models into powerful tools that enhance operations.

Lifecycle Integration

Interoperability enables digital twins to support the full lifecycle of government systems, from design to deployment and sustainment. By linking each stage through a digital thread, leaders gain traceability and agility.

Standardization and Policy

The DoD has already recognized the importance of interoperability, mandating standards and secure data exchange across all DoD components. These policies are designed to break down silos and ensure compatibility from the start.

Cross-Domain Functionality

Joint operations increasingly depend on interoperability. The Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative relies on integrating data from sensors, communications, and digital models across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. Digital twins that can share information across these domains enable faster, more informed decision-making at every level.

Real-World Digital Twin Examples in DoD and Federal Operations

Here are just a few examples of how digital twins are already being deployed. In each case, a lack of interoperability would hinder mission readiness and operations.

Real-Time Military Operations and Logistics

Digital twins ingest telemetry from drones, satellites, and sensors to enhance battlefield awareness. They support predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, and tactical planning to give warfighters a crucial edge.

Anti-Drone Systems

The US Army’s XM30 program leverages AI-driven digital twins to test anti-drone detection systems. By simulating virtual sensors, engineers can refine designs, cut costs, and accelerate timelines before physical prototypes are built.

Network Modernization and Security Simulations

Before rolling out new upgrades, the DoD uses digital twins to model network behavior under stress. These virtual simulations help identify vulnerabilities, test resiliency, and prepare for cyberattacks without risking live systems.

Tyndall AFB’s Installation-Scale Digital Twin

After Hurricane Michael devastated Tyndall Air Force Base, the Air Force built the largest installation-scale digital twin in its history. This twin links physical infrastructure with building information modeling and enterprise data for improvements in planning, safety, and mission coordination.

Challenges to Achieving Digital Twins Interoperability

There are significant benefits to implementing digital twins. The US Air Force used them to evaluate networking, resulting in more than 100% increase in resiliency.

However, even with the clear benefits and policy mandates, the journey toward digital twin interoperability is not without obstacles. Government leaders and DoD program managers must address several complex challenges to ensure that all systems work together seamlessly.

Technology Silos and Legacy Systems

Many government and defense agencies rely on decades-old infrastructure that was built long before digital engineering became standard practice. For example, the DoD’s System 3^b is over sixty years old and uses legacy programming language.

Legacy platforms often employ proprietary protocols, incompatible data formats, or outdated hardware, which makes true integration challenging. These can prevent data from flowing freely between systems, limiting the value of predictive modeling and real-time analytics.

Overcoming this challenge requires new technology investments, along with a strategic migration, to preserve critical historical data while modernizing platforms.

Standards Alignment

Interoperability depends on everyone speaking the same language. Aligning standards is foundational. For federal agencies, that means adopting consistent frameworks for data exchange, simulation modeling, and system architecture. While directives like DoDI 5000.97 provide a foundation, aligning standards across the vast DoD ecosystem remains difficult. Different branches, commands, and contractors often use unique tools and methodologies.

In the past, new technologies were often adopted slowly, moving through long acquisition cycles. Interoperable digital twins change that dynamic by creating a foundation where upgrades and new tools can be integrated more rapidly. Once a standard framework is in place, scaling innovations becomes easier. Interoperable design enables agility and speed.

Data Security and Classification

Sharing sensitive or classified information across agencies introduces significant risk. Digital twins interoperability requires exchanging telemetry, design files, or operational data that may fall under strict classification rules.

In some cases, data from one system may not be releasable to partners, even if operational success depends on it. This creates bottlenecks and incomplete digital representations. To address the issue, agencies must adopt secure data fabrics, zero-trust architecture, and tiered access controls that enable the sharing of necessary insights without compromising security.

Encryption, anonymization, and digital rights management can also help balance interoperability and the protection of critical assets.

Collaboration

Traditionally, each branch of the military (and often, each program within a branch) operated within its own information silo. Engineers and commanders relied on separate systems that made cross-agency coordination difficult. To optimize modern operations, stakeholders must work from a unified digital view of assets and environments.

Shared access fosters collaboration between contractors, program offices, and operational units. It also reduces duplication, ensuring that updates made in one system automatically propagate across the entire digital ecosystem.

Cultural Shifts

True transformation requires a cultural shift in how agencies approach engineering, collaboration, and mission execution. Teams are often comfortable with established workflows that have served them for decades and may resist changes at first.

Even after adoption, it’s easy to fall back on old habits or fail to trust new systems. Departments will need to overcome cultural barriers and provide the necessary training and change management strategies to facilitate adoption, making interoperability an integral part of the department’s DNA.

Recommendations for Government Leaders

To achieve greater digital twin interoperability, government leaders must adopt several best practices, including:

1. Adopting standards-based frameworks, such as DoDI 5000.97 and interoperability guidance from the Digital Twin Consortium
2. Fostering cross-agency collaboration by establishing shared digital platforms and governance structures
3. Investing in infrastructure and skills training, including cloud, AI/ML, and IoT sensors, to power real-time twins
4. Promoting pilot interoperability projects before scaling enterprise-wide
5. Working with experienced DoD contractors who understand the rigid requirements of digital twins in government operations

When interoperable, digital twins enable transformation, improve readiness, reduce costs, and accelerate innovation. For government leaders and the DoD, embracing digital twin interoperability is essential for building connected operations that deliver mission success.

Digital twins and AI bring real-time foresight and control into defense manufacturing. Whether building new systems or sustaining legacy platforms, these technologies empower DoD leaders to reduce cost, mitigate risk, and ensure production resilience at scale. Contact us for help with the strategic integration of advanced technologies and methods to streamline and optimize the development, maintenance, and operation of systems and infrastructures.