4
Conclusions
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) sustainment community was extremely helpful and candid throughout this study. It was obvious that this community has men and women who are dedicated and professional, and who understand the importance of their mission. They also understand that they fit within a USAF that is heavily tasked and must balance its many priorities within a constrained budget and a limited work force.
At each level, the study committee met with people who were working creatively to solve the problems they faced. Several of the recommendations this committee has made are in the process of being implemented. The committee wants to lend its support to them and call for more institutional support. For example, the Software Engineering Groups (SWEGs) are moving to more agile techniques—Development, Security, and Operations (DevSecOps)—and are using more commercial tools to support their workforces where possible.
Several of the recommendations require action above the SWEG level. For example, enhanced grade structures and salaries require action at the USAF or Department of Defense (DoD) level. These recommendations are very similar to issues that the USAF and DoD see in other high-tech areas, especially in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The civil service system is not set up well to recognize the contributions top technical people can make in these fields even if they are not managers. The committee also recognizes that much of this work may be contracted out, but it is still important to have talented men and women inside the government to manage these efforts, to make informed decisions about strategy
and programs, to add the special defense mission focus to the efforts—and in the sustainment case, to support the systems that are no longer economically viable or technically interesting for contractor support.
Some of the recommendations are a mix. For example, the SWEGs have the authority to initiate some changes to make the work environments more productive, such as using more modern software engineering tools and methods. However, addressing the limitations of government networks to access cloud services rubs up against current information technology policy. Similarly, during site visits the committee heard of e-mail taking 45 minutes to reach people due to filters and firewalls and of individuals going out to their cars to send e-mails or to access websites. This networking situation is not conducive to a productive work environment or for recruitment and retention of the next generation of software teams.
USAF systems depend on well-integrated, well-sustained, and secure software. Custom-built embedded software sustainment requires writing new code while simultaneously correcting existing code. Weapon systems with embedded software can benefit from the advances that the commercial software communities have pioneered, but also must recognize special requirements that arise from tight coupling, critical timing, integration with sensors and actuators, and safety, assurance, and lethality issues. When one adds the fact that the USAF sustains programs of various vintages and origins, it becomes obvious that there is no single approach that is right for all programs. This state of software development puts even more emphasis on USAF recruiting, developing, and retaining men and women and giving them the tools, experience, and education to manage the vast inventory of embedded software systems critical to the USAF.
In the end, like so many things, software sustainment is about people.
