- U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has released a memo announcing the service’s new approach to software acquisition
- Driscoll, a Wash100 awardee, said that the branch will start prioritizing commercially available software over custom-built counterparts
- The strategy is aimed at accelerating the delivery of software to the branch
The U.S. Army is shifting away from custom-built software systems and toward commercially available products that vendors can adapt for military use as part of its new software acquisition strategy, Federal News Network said Thursday.
A new policy memo signed by Army Secretary and 2026 Wash100 Award winner Dan Driscoll on July 22, and made public last week, signals a major departure from the service’s traditional approach to buying technology.
“Custom development should be extremely rare and will be authorized only when no commercial solution can meet a significant portion of operational needs,” Driscoll said
What Will Change Under the Army’s New Software Acquisition Strategy?
Rather than defaulting to conventional acquisition vehicles, the Army will now prioritize commercial solutions openings and other transaction authorities — tools the department has historically treated as fallback options when standard contracting stalls.
That marks a significant break from the traditional process, which requires companies to respond to detailed, prescriptive requirements, endure evaluation periods that can stretch for months or years and wait until every feature of a system is complete before it reaches the field.
Under the new model, the Army aims to field a working baseline product within months by casting a wider net for bidders and moving faster through evaluation. When a single vendor’s product could serve multiple needs across the force, program offices are instructed to pursue enterprise-wide contracts with that company rather than negotiating separate, smaller deals.
What Were Dan Driscoll’s Other Recommendations to Speed Up Software Procurement?
In his memo, Driscoll also pushes the Army’s test enterprise to modernize its own processes by automating evaluations, accepting testing data directly from vendors and assessing products throughout development rather than only at the end. The goal, according to the memo, is for testing to support rapid fielding rather than slow it down.
Similarly, Army cybersecurity officials are directed to streamline how new software gets approved for use across the force, relying on continuous authorities to operate and reciprocity agreements between organizations to cut down on redundant reviews.
