DevSecOps Enablement for Dual Use High Assurance Software

In todayĺs global security environment, the United States military faces continuously adapting adversaries seeking ways to undermine our strategic and operational strengths, particularly in Command and Control (C2) capabilities. The Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy provides a vision to improve C2 capabilities, a strategy of which will ôrely upon a secure and resilient infrastructure.ö Our proposal aims to develop new capabilities that enable software scalability and agility, starting with a strong cyber defense to deter malicious activity threatening enterprise operations. In conjunction with JADC2, the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) program is the Air Forceĺs answer for critical operational capability to protect the United Statesĺ ability to deter conflict and project power against pacing challenges. Because of its strategic importance, it is one of the seven Operational Imperatives: OI2 ôOperationally Focused ABMSö. One of the key challenges faced by ABMS is the issue of system interoperability. To combat this challenge, DARPA has successfully demonstrated a technology to auto-generate code to enable full interoperability across interfaces through a program known as STITCHES. System of Systems Technology Integration Tool Chain (STITCHES) is a vertically integrated library of technical standard translations and toolchains that work together seamlessly. It helps move data across different systems without altering the formatting or losing information. It does not require a universal standard; instead, it uses a library of prior translations and technician-usable software tools to generate software patches automatically. ôIt is software that writes translation software.ö STITCHES was fully transitioned to the Air Force Special Program Innovation Division in 2021. With a strong emphasis on vertical integration, a challenge faced by the STITCHES Warfighter Application Team is how to deploy this capability to an array of computing systems. Another challenge faced by the team is the process of new capability deployment, which would benefit from DevSecOps. Finally, it is imperative that the STITCHES Warfighter Application Team start with a strong, high assurance, cybersecure foundation that scales to deter malicious activity that would threaten enterprise operations. This proposal combines existing commercial technologies in a novel way that provides new capabilities for the STITCHES Warfighter Application team. These capabilities include the ability to deploy across more platforms from legacy to modern, secure continuous integration processes, and a strong security foundation. This expands the scope of applicable systems for STITCHES through the efficient use of computing resources, enabling it further to address the system interoperability challenges of the ABMS program. This solution will be another tool in the toolbox to help accelerate the vision of a resilient and interconnected battlefield.