The Air Force is Kneecapping Software Innovation

A new U.S. Air Force policy threatens to undermine software innovation by centralizing procurement and restricting how software-as-a-service (SaaS) products are acquired and used. The guidance mandates that all SaaS purchases must be independent contracting actions and must use a pre-approved enterprise service catalog, creating a significant bottleneck for new and innovative companies. It also imposes vague data accessibility requirements and, most critically, prohibits custom code development or modifications to extend a platform’s functionality. This approach contradicts the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act's push for agile software development and will ultimately slow the adoption of new technologies, harming military effectiveness and lethality.