Changing Software Acquisition in the DoD

In the digital age, software-based capabilities can provide our warfighters with a decisive edge across every fighting domain. Except, software delivery is among the greatest challenges facing the DoD and problems with software development continue to drive cost overruns and delay capability delivery to the warfighter.

To help overcome these challenges the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) was tasked by Congress and the Secretary of Defense to study how the Department can improve software acquisition and development. In a recent panel discussion, DIB members Dr. Michael McQuade, Mr. Milo Medin, Dr. Richard Murray and Ms. Jennifer Phalka joined Dr. Jeff Boleng from the office of the Secretary of Defense, to share some of their preliminary findings and provide a glimpse of the future.


The DIB is developing recommendations to support DoD and help the Department adopt modern software development best practices that enable faster capability delivery. Achieving this goal and transition is imperative if the United States is to maintain its technological superiority and military overmatch against its adversaries on the modern battlefield.

These lessons learned from the DIB study will be incorporated into the training environment and learning resources at Defense Acquisition University.
Appearing in the panel discussion are:

• Dr. Jeff Boleng, special assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment for software acquisition
• Dr. Michael McQuade, former senior vice president of science and technology for United Technologies and incoming vice president for research at Carnegie Mellon University
• Mr. Milo Medin, vice president of wireless services at Google
• Dr. Richard Murray, professor of control and dynamical systems and bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology
• Ms. Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America and co-founder of the U.S. Digital Service

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For questions or comments please contact Sean Brady, DAU learning director for software acquisition, at sean.brady@dau.mil.

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