12 September 2022

Software-Defined Warfare: Architecting the DOD's Transition to the Digital Age

Nand Mulchandani, Lt. General (Ret.) John N.T. “

The U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) massive bureaucracy struggles with the kind of periodic “tech refresh” that has been instrumental to commercial industry success. While it is insulated from market competition within the U.S. economy, the DOD is not immune to revolutionary, secular, and wide-ranging technological changes outside the government. Nor is it immune from the threat of competition with other militaries around the world.

In the future, warfighting will only become more complex, chaotic, and faster. The only way for the DOD to stay competitive in a new warfighting environment is to ensure that it uses the most potent weapon available: technology, specifically software.

For the United States to retain its dominant position in the future— which is not a guaranteed outcome—the DOD needs a new design and architecture that will allow it to be far more flexible, scale on demand, and adapt dynamically to changing conditions. And it must do so at a dramatically lower cost as it delivers its critical services. This paper provides a blueprint for the way forward.

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