Friday, July 21, 2006

Open source in the national interest


The DOD has released its official report (PDF) on open technology development. The roadmap offers a ringing endorsement of open-source software (OSS). Let's skip ahead to the conclusion:

To summarize: OSS and open source development methodologies are important to the National Security and National Interest of the U.S. for the following reasons:

* Enhances agility of IT industries to more rapidly adapt and change to user needed capabilities.

* Strengthens the industrial base by not protecting industry from competition. Makes industry more likely to compete on ideas and execution versus product lock-in.

* Adoption recognizes a change in our position with regard to balance of trade of IT.

* Enables DoD to secure the infrastructure and increase security by understanding what is actually in the source code of software installed in DoD networks.

* Rapidly respond to adversary actions as well as rapid changes in the technology industrial base.

Back in '04, Canada's Defense R&D offered a similar assessment.

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