Air Force brings defense planning into 21st century through modern software
By Corrie Poland, Air Force Operational Energy (SAF/IEN) / Published July 30, 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --
You wake up and check your smart phone for the latest weather and news of the day. As you roll out of bed, your phone tells you the best route to work based on up-to-date traffic patterns and congestion. Pulling out of your driveway, the gas light blinks on and you ask your phone to reroute you to the closest gas station on your way to work. Your estimated time to work adjusts accordingly. Along the road, your side mirror lights up as passing cars speed by, letting you know there’s someone in your blind spot. The GPS directs you to take the next exit in 1,000 feet and you begin turning off the highway. As you pull into the parking lot, your car app reads a coworker’s text to you over the stereo and advises you to park in the rear due to construction. Once you’ve parked, you seamlessly switch to your smartwatch to respond and head into the office.
For many Americans, this scenario is a familiar part of our routines. Yet, for much of the defense community, the ease and functionality of modern technology is not translated to military planning systems. While cumbersome acquisitions processes, funding issues and security concerns are often valid causes, many Department of Defense processes (and any software associated with them) cannot compete with the technology many Americans use regularly. In one corner the U.S. Air Force flies the most advanced aircraft in the world, yet in the other corner, Airmen use clunky spreadsheets and paper documents to analyze operations and mission plans.
https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1920814/air-force-brings-defense-planning-into-21st-century-through-modern-software/
