On March 26, Courtney Albon of DefenseNews published an article analyzing the defense industry’s response to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent directive on software acquisition, highlighting Forward Defense‘s Commission on Software-Defined Warfare report as a key framework for understanding the broader reforms required. The piece, “In the wake of Hegseth’s software memo, experts eye further change,” details how military officials and industry executives have expressed “a mix of optimism and angst” about the mandate while calling for more comprehensive reforms.
The article underscores how the commission’s report identified workforce expertise as a critical need for the Pentagon and details its recommendation that Department of Defense (DoD) develop an “extensive, connected, layered and modular software-centric training program” to establish a foundational understanding of commercial best practices. The DefenseNews piece directly quotes from the commission’s findings, noting “While the DoD has taken steps to upskill its existing workforce for the digital age, a widely acknowledged software proficiency shortfall remains.”
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
Forward Defense’s Commission on Software-Defined Warfare aims to digitally transform the armed forces for success in future battlefields. Comprised of a distinguished group of subject-matter and industry commissioners, the Commission has developed a framework to enhance US and allied forces through emergent digital capabilities.
