# Plain Language Summary: Defense Software Acquisition Cadre Act of 2021

The Department of Defense currently struggles to keep up with modern software development practices because it lacks enough experts who understand how to build and buy software the way private tech companies do. This bill requires the Pentagon to create a specialized team of software experts who will help military departments and defense agencies acquire and develop software more effectively. Think of it like hiring a group of tech consultants to work inside the Defense Department and teach everyone else how to do things better.

The experts in this new team would advise military program managers on everything from writing contracts for software to actually building and testing it. They'd help the Pentagon adopt modern practices like agile development (a faster, more flexible way to build software) and DevSecOps (a method that combines development, security, and operations). The team would also work on making it easier for the military to buy commercial software off-the-shelf rather than always building custom solutions from scratch, which saves time and money. Additionally, they'd help figure out fair licensing deals with software companies and develop strategies for keeping software secure and updated throughout its lifetime.

To make this work, the bill allows the Pentagon to hire these experts in several ways: by reassigning talented people already working in the Defense Department, by hiring specialized contractors from the private sector, or by bringing in outside companies to provide expertise. The bill specifically allows using special hiring authorities to attract top talent and permits using existing training funds to pay for recruiting and training these experts for up to three years. The goal is straightforward: get the right people in place so the military can acquire and maintain software as efficiently as modern tech companies do, ultimately saving taxpayer money and improving military capabilities.

Defense Software Acquisition Cadre Act of 2021

Brown, Anthony G.

Defense Software Acquisition Cadre Act of 2021 This bill requires the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment of the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a group of experts on development and acquisition of software to ensure a consistent, strategic, and highly knowledgeable approach to developing and acquiring software in support of DOD Instruction 5000.02, Operation of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (January 23, 2020).