Software Engineering

The purpose of Software Engineering (SWE) is to provide highly disciplined processes for software and system architecture, design, and development to ensure quality software for the warfighter. Properly planned SWE processes can mitigate cost and schedule risks by allowing programs to identify and remove software-related technical debt early in development. This early action can increase acquisition efficiency and lead to higher success rates during operational testing and the continuing development process. 

Software is critical to national security, an integral part of every Department of Defense (DoD) weapon system, and vital to future battlefield dominance. Software is a key element in all advanced warfighting systems and a driver of system performance, capability, security, functionality, complexity, and development risk. 

Software has become ubiquitous and increasingly significant to every warfighting system. Nevertheless, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) continues to observe systemic software development challenges across major programs, especially in the most advanced systems. Both the Defense Science Board (DSB) and the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) have delivered studies and recommendations on how DoD develops and acquires software-intensive systems. They observe that “software is never done” and that the lack of high-quality, mature software is a bottleneck to delivering timely capability to the Warfighter. Such findings have resulted in valuable changes in public law, acquisition policy, and workforce development.  

Advances in SWE skills, technology, and modern software development practices have proven successful in a competitive commercial marketplace.  Advances include: 

• Frequent iterative and continuous software deliveries using Agile and DevSecOps  
• Automated continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery/deployment (CD) pipelines 
• Analytical methods to measure and improve the software development processes and product quality
• Modern software management and development tools 
• Data Modeling and integration via Application Program Interfaces (APIs) 
• Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning 

The Department is updating acquisition policies and processes, modernizing culture and workforce competencies, and providing enterprise-wide solutions that keep pace with modern advances in software development.