Bottom Line Up Front: The US Army wants to be able to write its own software free of any contractors, acquisitions, or outside dependencies. This week, the Army opened its first “Software Factory” in Austin, Texas.
The Ribbon Cutting
You’ll remember that last month we mentioned that the Army was in the process of launching a “Software Factory” to write and develop its own software. Well, it happened this week. As you can see in the picture below, leadership of the Army Futures Command cut the ribbon at their new facility at Austin Community College.
What Does This Mean?
Contractors pay attention: the Army wants to develop software without you.
They are tired of vendor lock, tired of waiting years and years for software, tired of spending hundreds of millions of dollars. They want to be able to create their own software at their own speed, to their own liking, without having to depend on private industry.
This is Step One of a larger plan. The Army is creating an entirely new software capability similar to the Corps of Engineers, but with software. They are going to have a whole lot of internal talent that can create software at the speed of relevance.
What Can My Company Do?
Up your game. Make your offering so good, so convenient, and so attractive that the Army will choose you, rather than their internal talent. After all, even the Corps of Engineers contracts out to civilian engineers; there will be room for you.
But know this: the Army wants to do without you, and if you don’t change your old game, they will.