Coffee & Conversation with Darwyn Banks

On Thursday, August 20, INSA hosted a virtual Coffee and Conversation with Darwyn Banks, Director, Systems Engineering Directorate, NRO. 

Moderated by INSA Executive President John Doyon, the discussion focused on digital engineering, artificial intelligence, industrial base oversight, mission assurance, and the challenges of integrating increasingly complex systems.

To kick off the discussion, Banks described the role of the Systems Engineering Directorate in ensuring NRO’s systems are integrated, reliable, and able to meet evolving mission needs. He highlighted the importance of moving toward digital engineering and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), which will help NRO better manage requirements, architectures, and configurations across its programs.

Banks also discussed the growing role of AI in systems engineering, noting that AI is already incorporated into many of the tools NRO provides to its mission partners. Within the directorate, AI can help process large volumes of legacy technical documents and move them into a digital model environment, reducing the time and manpower required to maintain complex architectures.

The conversation then turned to industrial base oversight and supply chain management. Banks described the directorate’s engagement with suppliers, including factory visits and direct assessments of classified portions of facilities. He emphasized the importance of understanding how suppliers are performing against technical requirements and maintaining quality throughout the industrial base.

Banks also addressed the human and cultural challenges of adopting AI and digital engineering. While NRO has developed tools and capabilities to support these technologies, he noted that gaining acceptance from mission partners and program offices remains a significant challenge. He emphasized the need to demonstrate that these approaches can ultimately save time and improve outcomes.

The discussion closed with Banks highlighting the importance of continuing to push NRO and its processes toward a new digital engineering paradigm while working closely with mission partners and program offices. He emphasized that successfully adopting these approaches will require both technological progress and cultural acceptance across the organization.