The U.S. Army is changing how it acquires software, making the Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) the mandatory route for software development efforts and directing program managers to prioritize commercial solutions in an effort to deliver capabilities more rapidly.
In a July 22 memo published last week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll outlined the new acquisition policy aimed at rapidly delivering resilient, adaptable, and secure software capabilities.
Driscoll’s directive builds on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent effort to overhaul Pentagon acquisition and enable the department to deliver weapons and business systems, including software, “at speed and scale,” according to the memo.
The new policy rescinds Army Directive 2024-02 “Enabling Modern Software Development and Acquisition Practices,” which was issued in March 2024.
The policy gives particular weight to the Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP), created in 2020 during the first Trump administration, and designated in a March 2025 memo as the “preferred pathway” for software development across the department.
Under Driscoll’s directive, the SWP is now mandatory for all software development efforts, including mixed efforts that contain software development. Program managers will use the pathway as the primary route or in conjunction with other pathways. Programs currently using other pathways will transition to the SWP at their next major decision point.
The policy also directs Army contracting officers to use enterprise software contracts, when available for selected vendors, to purchase commercial software that has applicability beyond a single-use case.
Additionally, the policy instructs program managers to consider commercial solutions first, followed by configured commercial solutions.
Custom development should be “extremely rare and will be authorized only when no commercial solution can meet a significant portion of operational needs.” the memo states.
The policy also makes commercial solutions openings and other transaction authorities the default solicitation and award approaches for acquiring capabilities under SWP.
Army cybersecurity organizations also are directed to implement continuous authority to operate processes and accept reciprocity across Army organizations.
The policy also calls for testing and cybersecurity processes to “enable, not impede, rapid delivery.”
“Test organizations must leverage automated testing and, when feasible, accept vendor test data and conduct testing in parallel with development,” the memo states.
The assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology will incorporate the policy’s provisions, along with implementation guidance, into a new Army regulation within two years, according to the memo.