Extending SysML Model Federation to Support Systems of Systems Multilevel Security Development

Abstract

Practitioners of modern systems engineering within the defense industry and intelligence community often find themselves being pulled in diametrically opposed directions. On the one hand, systems engineering is quickly evolving into a digital practice, strategically connecting heterogeneous sets of models to form digital threads and digital twins capable of providing insights more valuable than the sum of their parts. On the other hand, the inherent nature of working within the national security space necessitates information be held a multiple levels of classification, safeguarded from release, and compartmentalized. This paper focuses on Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) development to introduce methods and tools to aid in overcoming these challenges. The work presented here builds on previously published works in SysML Model Federation for Systems of Systems (SoS) Architecting, the experience of applying this methodology on real world programs. Furthermore, it leverages freely available MBSE tools, processes, and methods in the construction of System Architecture Models (SAMs). This paper culminates in a call to action for additional published research and development to address residual challenges and gaps with respect to executing MBSE for Multilevel Security (MLS) development.