Army leaders talk software modernization at AFCEA NOVA event

PEO EIS Program Executive Officer Bill Hepworth joined a distinguished panel of Army acquisition and information technology leaders May 9 for an AFCEA NOVA webinar on the Army’s software modernization initiatives. His co-panelists included Margaret Boatner, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for strategy and acquisition reform; Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering and software; and Leo Garciga, Army chief information officer.  

Panelists kicked off the discussion with introductions and remarks about the Army’s recently published policy entitled, “Enabling Modern Software Development and Acquisition Practices,” which was released in March.  

Software, said Boatner, is the main ingredient or driver of nearly all the Army’s capabilities — regardless of the type of system. She said she felt strongly that pivoting to modern software approaches would help the Army achieve its goal of continuous enhancement over time. 

The significance of the new software directive can’t be overstated, said Boatner. One of its key goals is to institutionalize modern software development approaches like Agile, Lean and DevSecOps practices. The other objective is to reform institutional processes like requirements, acquisition, contracting, test and evaluation, cybersecurity, cost estimation, data management and talent management.  

The Army’s new software policy is of particular interest to PEO EIS, said Hepworth, because it helps accelerate acquisition, improve software development speeds and deliver capability much faster to Soldiers and other users.  

EIS is aiming to reduce the acquisition lifecycle from 24 months to six months, according to Hepworth. “Right now, we’re at about eight months,” he said. 

Hepworth offered industry partners several tips to help EIS programs achieve this aggressive goal. The first ask, he said, is for companies to bring a West Coast mentality to software development — being forward-thinking and willing to shake things up. He offered praise to companies whose contracting staff have been upskilled in Agile.  

“The bottom line is we recognize that over a significant period of time, we trained the contractor community to support waterfall over Agile, but now we’re telling them that Agile is the right way,” he said.  

Industry’s West Coast mentality must be accompanied by a security mindset in approaching continuous integration and continuous development, said Hepworth.  

“Let’s face it – we’re one of the biggest targets, so we need to have our A game every time we go out and build things,” he said.  

Digital modernization and Agile acquisition will be on the agenda at another upcoming AFCEA event — AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days. Hepworth, who has served as PEO EIS’ top leader since January, will provide further insights for industry during his May 15 luncheon keynote address.