DoD joins the open-source brigade

The Department of Defense is putting its considerable clout behind open-source software. In a recent memo to top military officials, deputy CIO David Wennergren outlined the importance of open-source software in helping the military meet its mission goals.

"To effectively achieve its missions, the Department of Defense must develop and update its software-based capabilities faster than ever, to anticipate new threats and respond to continuously changing requirements," Wennergren wrote. "The use of open source-software can provide advantages in this regard."

The DoD is already using open-source software. The Defense Information Systems Agency's Rapid Access Computing Environment runs LinuxDISA, and recently launched a website for sharing open-source code with the military. Still, there are plenty more potential benefits, according to Wennegren. Those include the ability to modify code for new missions and changing situations, and reduced reliance on software vendors.

Furthermore, Federal CIO Vivek Kundra is encouraging the use of open source, with the White House recently moving to an open-source content management system.

For more on open source at DoD:
- see this InformationWeek article

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