4w ago

The Department of Defense Efforts to Buy and Maintain IT Systems Are Billions Over Budget and Delayed

www.gao.gov

DOD Efforts to Buy and Maintain IT Systems Are Billions Over Budget and Delayed

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4w ago

The Department of Defense Efforts to Buy and Maintain IT Systems Are Billions Over Budget and Delayed

www.gao.gov /blog/dod-efforts-buy-and-maintain-it-systems-are-billions-over-budget-and-delayed

14 comments

The cost of them not having the source code or the right to repair the shit they bought and paid for with our tax dollars.
- Also they fired all the trans women and furries. Everyone else who knows what they're doing retired already.
  
  It’s DEI’s fault!
I’ve always wondered if the world’s major governments all have their own secret, bespoke operating systems for highly sensitive situations. Like, not Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, or anything even remotely known to the public. But then you see high-ranking admin officials using bootleg Signal on an off-the-shelf phone or whatever.
I’d assume the actual intelligence agencies are more sophisticated. I doubt they’re running some “hardened” version of Windows or Android or whatever. But maybe I’m being naive and they all are just working with vendors.
- Mostly vendors. Often on-prem versions customized for their sensitive work and the versions are 30+ years now.
  They very much go by the mantra “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If you’re lucky enough to get one of those contracts, you’re on a gravy train, but brace yourself because you can expect to get a lot of complaints about how outdated and crap your system is. That and a whole lot of time dedicated to training and documentation.
  You’ll also get the occasional person’s personal monument to themselves. “Joe’s been doing that GIS stuff for 30 years.” Whew those can doozies.
- My husband says it is not secret what they use. It is something called L4-SEC which has formal proofs of correctness
  
  We need the /s tag around here for even the mildest and most obvious jokes.
Don't worry, we're bringing in a bunch of C-levels from AI companies and giving them Lt. Colonel rank so they can approve a "Move Fast And Break Things" approach to Pentagon IT investment.
I predict "billions over budget" will look absolutely quaint in another five years.
Also, incidentally, check out the ADE 651
Don't worry, AI is going to make it all cheaper. /S
While I have a lot of issues with Department of Defense things, being over budget is a pretty common challenge in the private sector, too. Transportation is over budget a lot because we underfund it. Not that the current administration cares.
Sounds like the department of vulnerabilities.
But we're ABOLISHING FEMA so we can Afford THIS instead!

14 comments