Publication

This paper argues that the US the Department of Defense (DoD) should invest more heavily in open source software, particularly if it hopes to maintain military superiority. More specifically, the text’s authors 1) discuss the ubiquity of open source software and DoD's ad-hoc way of using it in the past; 2) provide examples where this type of software would enhance the US military’s capabilities; and 3) set out some of the impediments which exist to using more open source materials. Our authors finish by recommending ways that DoD can circumvent its own cultural and bureaucratic hurdles and use the open source tools that are readily available.