DIGITAL MODULARITY
We are not just preparing for the future; we are actively shaping it.
Digital modularity offers several key advantages that are critical to meeting the challenges of modern warfare:
• It significantly shortens the capability development and deployment life cycles, enabling our forces to meet new and dynamic mission requirements swiftly.
• It facilitates the incremental and continuous introduction of innovative capabilities, ensuring that technological advancements are seamlessly integrated and immedi- ately beneficial.
• It enhances the ability to orchestrate operations across multiple missions and between various branches of the Army, other services and coalition partners, promot- ing a more unified and effective approach to military engagements.
• It fosters a diverse and competitive industrial base, reduc- ing reliance on single vendors and thereby minimizing risks associated with vendor lock-in.
• It diminishes the risks posed by rapid technological changes, enhancing the resilience and flexibility of our military enterprise.
• It lowers overall development and sustainment costs, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently and stra- tegically.
Te path of architecting a fully adaptable force requires concerted efforts from stakeholders across the Army. To spearhead this crucial initiative, DASA(DES) is developing the Modern Software Framework (MSF), a cornerstone in building the infra- structure necessary for embracing digital modularity.
Te MSF provides:
• Te basis for defining reference architectures, enabling the community to develop new ones as needed.
• Prescriptive guidance and guardrails on how to achieve modularity objectives in software architecture and design, as well as how to assess MOSA maturity in soft- ware programs.
• A repository of repeatable, vendor-agnostic design patterns to reduce proprietary and suboptimal software implementations.
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• A lexicon of fundamental concepts, principles and relationships, giving ASA(ALT) a shared under- standing independent of vendor technologies and implementations.
Te ASA(ALT) community will have access to version 1.0 of the MSF in September 2024. Tis framework is not just a tool but a transformational strategy that will empower our forces, enabling them to thrive in the complex and fluid environments of both today and tomorrow. By collaborating for digital modularity, we are not just preparing for the future; we are actively shaping it, ensuring that our military remains robust, reactive and ready to face whatever challenges may arise.
CONCLUSION Digital modularity is pivotal in the digital transformation of the Army. It also forms the bedrock for deploying AI technologies swiftly and at scale. A strategic approach is essential for the effec- tive adoption and implementation of AI. (See Figure 1, Page 14.)
Te DASA(DES) team is leading the charge on implementation of a 100-day AI plan, which is designed to strategically outline our AI-related investments in science and technology, catalog AI requirements across our entire portfolio and address challenges in the AI landscape, such as evolving testing methodologies. Furthermore, this plan emphasizes strengthening the security of our AI capabilities to ensure that the technologies we develop are dependable and trusted by our Soldiers. In a future issue, we will delve deeper into AI implementation across ASA(ALT) and discuss the details outlined in Figure 2.
For more information on digital transformation initiatives within DASA(DES), follow on LinkedIn at
https://www.linkedin.com/ in/dasa-des and go to
https://www.army.mil/dasades.
JENNIFER A. SWANSON is the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering and software. She is a Senior Executive Service member who leads implementation of modern software practices, including Agile software development and DevSecOps, data centricity and digital engineering, across ASA(ALT). She holds an M.S. in software engineering from Monmouth University and a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida. She holds DAWIA Practitioner certifications in program management and in engineering and technical management.
Army AL&T Magazine
Summer 2024
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