Katie Arrington, who currently performs the duties of the Department of Defense’s chief information officer and is a previous Wash100 awardee, has issued a memorandum directing the establishment of a new initiative to advance DOD’s adoption of best practices to transform the way it acquires, tests, authorizes and fields secure software.
DOD said Monday the memo directs the Office of the DOD CIO, or OCIO, to work with the under secretaries of defense for acquisition and sustainment, research and engineering, and intelligence and security on the development of the Software Fast Track, or SWFT, Initiative.
What Is the DOD SWFT Initiative’s Purpose?
The department’s SWFT Initiative will define clear, specific cybersecurity and supply chain risk management requirements; secure information sharing mechanisms; rigorous software security verification processes; and federal government-led risk determinations to accelerate cybersecurity authorizations for secure, rapid software adoption.
According to the April 24 memo, the OCIO will develop and submit the framework and implementation plan for the initiative within 90 days.
3 SWFT Requests for Information
In support of the new initiative, DOD issued three requests for information to seek input on capabilities that could help accelerate the delivery of secure software to warfighters and the federal government.
In one RFI, the OCIO said it wants industry perspectives on SWFT risk criteria for secure, consistent and accelerated risk assessments.
The office is also soliciting information on existing external assessment methodologies that can serve the SWFT initiative. The methodologies must support rigorous software security verification processes and enable DOD-led risk determinations.
Under the third RFI, DOD is requesting industry input on using automation and artificial intelligence to assist department-led risk assessment for expedited cybersecurity authorizations.
Responses to the RFIs are due May 20.
