Defense Software for a Contested Future

U.S. national security depends on defense software that is secure, reliable, and agile. At the request of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a study to explore how to enhance the assurance and agility of large-scale, integrated software-based systems. This report recommends ways the Department of Defense can engineer and manage its software systems to reduce cyber risk and enable more rapid system evolution to meet changing mission needs.

Table of Contents

Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Agility 3 Assurance 4 Incentives 5 Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Software Systems 6 Summary: Toward More Agile and Assured Systems Appendix A: Statement of Task Appendix B: Presentations to the Committee Appendix C: Prior Department of DefenseSponsored Studies of Software Acquisition Appendix D: Committee Member Biographical Information