A Technical History of the SEI

A Vision of the Future of Software Engineering
Software and Defense
In the years since the SEI was founded, the Department of Defense has become dramatically more
reliant on software in all phases of the DoD mission. Software is a critical building material for
major systems of all kinds. Considering the pervasiveness of its role, it is perhaps the most strategically
significant of all materials that contribute to modern defense systems.
The increase in the role and criticality of software is well documented in multiple studies by the
Defense Science Board (DSB) and the National Research Council (NRC) at the National Academies.
70 This increased dependency is evident in the reported tenfold growth in the number of lines
of software code produced every decade. There are good reasons for this growth: software is
uniquely unbounded and flexible; can be delivered and upgraded electronically and remotely; and
has the potential for rapid adaptation to changing threats, coalition structure and mission environment,
and technological infrastructure. That is, software, uniquely, enables defense program managers
and sustainment teams to adapt rapidly to changes in their missions, as well as to opportunities
afforded by rapid advances in the computing and communication infrastructure. In addition to
emerging as the most compelling medium for embodying complex functionality, software has become
the critical medium of interoperation and interconnection among systems. These advances
in software capability have a broad and deep significance throughout the DoD and its supply
chain.
Along with the rapid growth in the role of software in DoD systems, there is rapid evolution in the
technology and practices associated with software, which is increasing rather than diminishing. It
is dangerous to think that software technology is somehow approaching a plateau in role and capability.
The lack of a plateau is evident in recent developments in technology and practice—examples
include big data frameworks, machine learning tools, advanced framework-and-apps architectures,
safe programming languages, cyber-physical architectures, resilient architectures,
software-assurance analytics, design modeling, cost estimation, agile practices, and the like. As
software-related technology evolves, organizations and nations that are deeply reliant on software
capability must take an active role in engaging with the technology and the technology ecosystem,
lest they fall behind their competitors and adversaries.
70 Principal related studies from the National Research Council include Critical Code: Software Producibility
for Defense (2010), Achieving Effective Acquisition of Information Technology in the Department
of Defense (2010), Software for Dependable Systems: Sufficient Evidence (2007), and
Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace (2007). Principal related reports of Defense Science
Board Task Forces include Mission Impact of Foreign Influence on DoD Software (September
2007), Defense Software (November 2000), Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber
Threat (January 2013), Acquiring Defense Software Commercially (June 1994), and Military Software
(September 1987).
CMU/SEI-2016-SR-027 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 285
Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited.