U.S. Army Futures Command announces first soldier-led software factory in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - U.S. Army Futures Command has announced the establishment of the first soldier-led software factory, which will be based in Austin.

The Army says the Software Factory is a first-of-its-kind concept that will leverage a train-with-industry pipeline to empower soldiers and civilians to scope and solve problems with modern software practices.

This new capability will allow units to act faster and mitigate unforeseen risks inherent in multi-domain operations. The Army says it will teach soldiers and civilians how to solve Army problems with cloud technology and modern software, and to better prepare soldiers for disconnected warfare in 2028 and beyond. 

"The capability to develop software at the lowest tactical levels will help us provide better software products," said Gen. John M. Murray, AFC commanding general. "We anticipate long-term cost savings and expect the Software Factory to help us maintain a competitive advantage across Army modernization efforts."

This new software factory complements the Army's digital talent initiative based at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. Army professionals will attend data science and engineering graduate programs, and 12 soldiers will attend a boot-camp-style fellowship for cloud technicians to help solve Army problems through agile and secure software development processes, says the Army.

"All of these efforts will develop and sustain the digital talent the Army needs for the future," Murray said. "The CMU-trained engineers will build the data environment the Army needs. The technicians will maintain that environment. And the Software Factory will develop the skills to operate in that environment."

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

For more on the Carnegie Mellon Army AI Scholars program, click here.