The Department of Defense is not fully abiding by a federal mandate to implement an open source software pilot program and make common code more readily available to other agencies, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. In 2016, Congress required the Department of Defense to initiate the pilot program where at least 20% of their custom-built software was open source within three years.
Pentagon officials cite concerns about the security of open source software due to a lack of internal governance over shared code. The department’s chief information officer also notes that due to its size, it has been nearly impossible to inventory all the source code. However, every official who spoke with GAO agreed that embracing open source software could cut costs and allow for more rapid deployment of new technology.
Read more: The Pentagon Needs to Make More Software Open Source, Watchdog Says
