WBI Instrumental in Air Force Shift to Simplifying Software Update Protocols

01.12.21 06:16 PM By Jennie Hempstead

The Air Force has long suffered from a software sustainment drain: individual program offices were required to maintain their ‘personal’ versions of the software they employ. The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) engaged with Wright Brothers Institute to tackle this issue, looking to cloud services with DevSecOps software and platform integration support that would support the Level Up program. The idea is to stand up a “cyber factory” that would have the ability to quickly develop new capabilities in cyberspace, and scale them up. 

WBI sought to engage with leaders in the software development world to take government software on the open source layer and update the master string. This would result in maintaining just one version for the entire government, not multiple versions tied to every program office. This will create huge savings in time and money.

As recently as 2019, each program office managed its own open software update at $100K per update. Across the Air Force there are 1200 offices; if each updated once a year, that equals $120,000,000/year (not including how many different programs/platforms used). This project helped existing SBIR companies that were developing software for the AF and joined them to the developing PLATFORM ONE to update and maintain their software in the master string. This project piloted how to get talented software teams to work together to create a sustainable approach for AF software development that would be sustainable. 

This project was very successful: it has now established Platform One as the master string for all Air Force software factories. It helped to spin off SkiCAMP and cemented SpaceCAMP as the software factory for Colorado Springs.

Platform One is on track to become a Program of Record and will be the repository for most software developed at the software factories. This is now a strong ecosystem that has paved the way for small businesses to get software on operational AF systems using a new Continuous Authority to Operate (ATO) that cuts down the re-certification process for software upgrades. Previously every mod to a software had to go through a one- to two-year r process to get it certified for use then be sent to an approving authority for the ATO.

WBI’s ability to connect teams has greatly assisted the Air Force’s Chief Software Officer Nicolas Chaillan in leaving a legacy with the DevSecOps approach to software development. This project played a key part in developing the Platform One software repository. 

Jennie Hempstead