Treffer: How Well Can Existing Software Support Processes Accomplish Sustainment of a Non-Developmental Item-Based Acquisition Strategy

The Department of Defense is increasingly moving toward software-intensive tactical systems. Software sustainment presents a differing set of characteristics over its hardware counterpart. To understand better how these differing characteristic may affect the current support processes established for the hardware-dominated landscape, this paper examines how a recent, ongoing, acquisition of a software-intensive tactical system (Joint Tactical Radio System) is aligning to the existing DoD and Army policy and guidelines for software sustainment. The paper further tries to identify potential disconnects presented by the DoD/Army's movement toward acquiring systems under the Non-Developmental Item (NDI) strategy. Under an NDI acquisition, the program manager acquires the end system with little to no development contribution or design insight. Recommendations are made to assist the Army in recognizing such challenges and considering modifications to the current processes.