DOD Still Faces Software Acquisition Challenges, Hopes Experts Help to Improve Practice

The Department of Defense continues to grapple with software acquisition despite adopting six new acquisition pathways in 2020 to ensure officials have access to the tools they need.

Cara Abercrombie, assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, said the Pentagon plans to address the issue by sending a team of experts to expedite the adoption of a new pathway designed to speed up the software acquisition process.

A report by the Government Accountability Office disclosed a lack of DOD programs using the new acquisition pathway, with only an estimated 50 using it. The budget also remains a challenge for the Pentagon, with a congressional report recommending to Congress to expand the budget allocation for all DOD software programs, Federal News Network reported.

The call to adopt a policy to accelerate software acquisition goes back years. In 2022, the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Strategic Technologies Program said that the Defense Department needs to adopt a more flexible and scalable on-demand strategy to ensure the United States retains its dominant position in the international community.