The Digital Thread In The Real World: Multiple Partners, Multiple Tools, One Truth

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026
Austin Herrema · Istari Digital
As the Department of Defense accelerates adoption of digital engineering and advanced manufacturing, the challenge is no longer defining the digital thread—it is executing it across a fragmented Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This session will explore a consortium-based approach to demonstrating an end-to-end digital thread spanning design, build, operations, and sustainment—executed within each partner’s native environment.
Rather than forcing tool or data standardization, this effort enables…