Original Broadcast Date: 1/25/26
Presented by SAP
The Department of Defense is leaving value on the table when it comes to how it tests and delivers new capabilities, and Joe Ditchett believes digital twins can help change that.
In an interview on Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose, Ditchett, Industry Executive Advisor at SAP, discusses how digital twins and dynamic testing environments allow agencies to learn faster, adapt more quickly, and deliver meaningful capabilities to mission operators and warfighters. He responds to a recent Government Accountability Office report that finds the Pentagon—particularly the Navy—is not fully using digital twins to identify issues before live testing, missing opportunities to save time and money.
Ditchett explains that traditional testing approaches rely on static environments and linear processes that provide limited feedback. In the past, organizations often operated in controlled lab settings, where testing did not reflect real-world complexity. As a result, capabilities moved slowly and frequently failed to deliver value at the speed required by today’s operational environment. Digital twins offer a different approach by enabling continuous feedback and closed-loop learning.
At the core of the digital twin concept, Ditchett says, is the ability to work with dynamic data sets. Agencies can ingest new data in real time, including unstructured information, and use it to run multiple experiments simultaneously. This allows organizations to impose structure on complex, chaotic environments and turn that data into lessons that improve performance and decision-making.
Ditchett emphasizes that adopting digital twins is not simply a matter of buying new technology. It requires a shift in mindset. Agencies must move away from thinking in terms of projects with a defined start and end, where success is measured by passing a test or completing a milestone. Instead, they need to think in terms of systems that evolve continuously and are designed to improve over time.
This systems-based approach enables agencies to move prototypes into production more efficiently. Rather than stopping at experimentation, organizations can carry lessons learned directly into operational environments. Ditchett notes that the ability to run virtual experiments before building or fielding hardware is especially valuable, allowing teams to test assumptions, explore alternatives, and reduce risk early in the process.
Open architecture plays a critical role in this approach. Ditchett says agencies must be able to consume and reintegrate data easily, ensuring
Speed is a recurring theme in Ditchett’s remarks. He points out that warfighters and mission operators consistently say they want solutions faster. Digital twins support that goal by shortening feedback loops and allowing learning to happen continuously, rather than waiting for formal testing cycles to conclude. By providing immediate insight into what works and what does not, agencies can deliver usable capabilities sooner.
Ditchett also connects digital twins to the concept of operating with mission intent, particularly at the edge. Decision-making is increasingly distributed, and operators in the field generate valuable data that must be fed back into testing and development processes. Digital twins make it possible to capture that feedback and incorporate it into stronger testing structures that complement live exercises.
Rather than striving for perfection in isolated environments, Ditchett argues that agencies should focus on relevance. Capabilities must reflect real-world conditions and adapt as those conditions change. Digital twins enable organizations to operate at what he calls the “speed of relevance,” ensuring systems remain aligned with mission needs as they evolve.
Throughout the conversation, Ditchett stresses that outcomes matter more than process. Success is no longer defined by completing a project or meeting a checklist requirement. What matters is whether capabilities reach the people who need them—whether a warfighter operating at the edge or a decision-maker in Washington—and whether those capabilities deliver meaningful results.
Ultimately, Ditchett sees digital twins as a foundational element of modern government operations. By embracing dynamic data, continuous learning, and system-level thinking, agencies can test smarter, adapt faster, and better support mission success. For the Department of Defense and other federal organizations operating in complex, fast-moving environments, digital twins offer a way to turn complexity into clarity and deliver capabilities when and where they matter most.