US Army Unveils $1B Modern Software Development Initiative

The U.S. Army is laying out a vision for a modern software development procurement contracting vehicle with a ceiling estimated to be greater than $1 billion over 10 years.

The Army is seeking public input on a multiple award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract that aims to enable the military branch to develop and deploy resilient software and protect digital operations from emerging cyberthreats.

A recently released request for information says the new vehicle will allow the Army to build dependable continuous integration and continuous delivery pathways, which it can then use for the delivery of modern software across the branch.

“Software is essential to modern military operations,” the RFI says, adding that “the Army’s ability to rapidly develop, deliver and adapt resilient software is critical to achieving a competitive advantage over adversaries.”

The RFI says DevSecOps is a critical component in adopting modern software development methodologies and stresses the importance of integrating security best practices throughout the software development life cycle. The Army says it is in the process of reforming institutional processes to incorporate DevSecOps and other best practices into its software development processes as part of a broader effort to develop custom software solutions, modify existing software and enable software as a service throughout the branch.

The RFI comes after a 2023 government watchdog report tasked the Department of Defense with developing a plan to support agile software development and enable the adoption of modern engineering tools across its programs. Another Government Accountability Office report published in 2023 says the Defense Department needs to take additional action, including streamlining and improving its software acquisition practices, to help implement future modernization efforts.

The Army is requesting written responses from the public and key stakeholders by June 10. The branch plans to award the highest technically rated offers that feature competitive prices, and it wants recommendations for innovative on-ramping strategies that can help facilitate the participation and success of small businesses within the contractor pool.