Demand Grows For Multi-Skilled, Flexible Engineers.

• Author: Hill, Stephanie C.
• Position: Commentary

* Emerging digital technologies deeply impact all aspects of society, and modern warfare is no exception.

Adversaries are growing more sophisticated--disrupting the battlefield and contesting the United States in all domains. As the threat and national security landscape rapidly change, it is imperative the defense industry ensures the nation outpaces its opponents.

To maintain a high-tech competitive advantage and influence across all domains, U.S. industry must track the evolving needs of the armed forces by understanding their challenges and equipping them with the capabilities required to deter and counter any threat.

Amidst this changing character of warfare, the talented engineers of the aerospace and defense industry must place a heavier focus on digitally powered, data-focused and centralized technology. The true lethality of the Joint Force is not any one platform or capability, but the ability to connect all sensors, shooters and command nodes across all branches of the military and across all domains.

It's clear that this requires a vastly different skill set and preparation than in the past. Traditionally, industry prioritized developing "specialized" engineers who would focus on one or two core areas. Today, the defense engineering industry values "T-shaped" engineers--those with a broad knowledge base, but who can also go deep.

For example, engineers with hardware skills should also understand how to integrate software. And software engineers must be knowledgeable of die artificial intelligence NeoPulse Modeling Language network.

As engineers follow a "T-shaped" approach to developing their skill set, expertise in AI is not the only in-demand area of knowledge. They must also understand how these tools can be connected to other technologies such as machine learning and 5G. These technologies allow for greater connectivity among domains, helping armed forces navigate complex, highly contested battlefields. Engineers must possess an understanding of data analytics to make use of large quantities of both structured and unstructured data. They must understand edge computing so that data can be used to enhance decision-making in real time. By placing a new focus in these areas, current and future engineers can upgrade their skill set.

Technical skills are refined over time through continuous training and learning on the job. Today's aerospace and defense engineers must combine their expertise with new learnings in emerging areas to...