The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report of interest for the defense acquisition workforce and beyond entitled “GAO-23-105867 Defense Software Acquisitions: Changes to Requirements, Oversight, and Tools Needed for Weapon Programs.”

According to the GAO, “the Department of Defense's ability to respond to evolving threats is increasingly determined by its ability to rapidly develop and deploy software. One way it is doing this is by trying to follow Agile development principles, which deliver working software in less than a year and add capability after that based on user feedback. The iterative and fast-paced nature of Agile software development relies on flexible requirements, regular user engagement, and an understanding of the value of what has been delivered. DOD, however, has not incorporated these principles across all of its acquisition paths. We recommended it do so.”