The US Department of Defense (DoD) has approved the software modernisation strategy in a bid to develop a resilient software capability that will provide a competitive advantage to the armed forces in future conflicts.
The programme forms a part of the DoD digital modernisation strategy and builds upon the 2018 DoD Cloud strategy.
Deputy Secretary of Defence Dr Kathleen H Hicks said: “Delivering a more lethal force requires the ability to evolve faster and be more adaptable than our adversaries.
“The department’s adaptability increasingly relies on software, and the ability to securely and rapidly deliver resilient software capability is a competitive advantage that will define future conflicts. Transforming software delivery times from years to minutes will require significant change to our processes, policies, workforce, and technology.”
The strategy sets three long-term goals to ‘deliver resilient software capability at the speed of relevance’.
The first goal seeks to accelerate the DoD enterprise Cloud environment. This involves securing data in the Cloud, as well as expediting Cloud adoption through automated design patterns, and developing outside continental United States (OCONUS) infrastructure for the Cloud, among others.
The second goal involves establishing a department-wide software factory ecosystem while the third aims to transform related processes to achieve the necessary speed.
In a memorandum approving the strategy, Deputy Secretary Hicks said that the software modernisation senior steering group (SW Mod SSG) will work on the strategy, and will deliver the implementation plan in 180 days.
In a separate memorandum, Deputy Secretary Hicks said that the DoD must become a digital and artificial intelligence (Al)-enabled enterprise.
According to the memo, DoD chief information officer John Sherman will serve as the acting chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, until a permanent appointment is announced.
Earlier this month, the US announced that 3,000 service members would be deployed to Romania, Poland, and Germany in response to increasing tensions in eastern Europe.
