DoD software giants sign joint collaboration statement

Press Release

BOSTON (16 November 2021) – The U.S. Air Force’s Platform One and Kessel Run signed a memorandum recently, titled ‘We Believe’ to continue to collaborate and support one another, their ally organizations and their end users.

The software principles memo serves as a nod to each platform’s working relationship in the Department of Defense as the premier software factories in the military software ecosystem. Both organizations have a similar ethos, culture and purpose; the memo, signed by their respective commands, was also drafted as a way to formalize collaboration efforts and blur the lines between each service, helping to prevent siloing and duplication of efforts in the DoD.

“Kessel Run and Platform One are both such huge thought leaders and cultural leaders for the department, starting with Kessel Run smuggling DevSecOps into the DOD, and continuing with Platform One leading the way to Kubernetes, a common repo, and a desire to bring the entire community together and leverage common enterprise services,” said Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Information Officer of the Air Force. “Together, these teams are moving the department forward by deploying awesome warfighting software and giving more and more Airmen the opportunity to learn agile processes. It’s a huge shift to the way we execute our mission and we need more of it.”

Platform One and Kessel Run’s respective mottos of “Only You Can Prevent Waterfall” and “Ideas Over Rank” are synthesized into key points such as “collaboration over mandates” and “flexibility is the key to staying relevant.” Key points in the memo highlight how the future of DevSecOps and agile software development depend on collaboration toward identical goals, together.

Some calls-to-action in the memo even elicit cooperation from other software teams to help build collaboration across multiple programs, as well as contributing to open source and prioritizing talent pipelines.

Kessel Run, officially known as the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Detachment 12, has a proven track record in enhancing efficiency, saving cost and modernizing the way the Air Force operates with its agile software development. With its user-centered approach to development, Kessel Run’s mission is to rapidly deliver combat capabilities to warfighters and revolutionize the Air Force software acquisition process.

“This statement solidifies our commitment to synergize our efforts in modernizing the Air Force with the software solutions we need today to win tomorrow,” said Col. Brian Beachkofski, Commander of Kessel Run. “Platform One and Kessel Run are building the future together.”

Platform One is a software factory focused on merging top talent from other software factories across the Department of Defense. Platform One assists software factories by helping them focus on building mission applications. They provide: collaboration and cybersecurity tools, source code repositories, artifact repositories, development tools, DevSecOps as a service, and more.

“Tomorrow’s conflict will begin with the weapon systems we’ve acquired, but will be won by our ability to adapt faster than our adversary,” said Lt. Col. Brian Viola, Commander of Platform One. “I look forward to our continued collaboration with Kessel Run and laying the foundation necessary to field at the speed of relevance, at enterprise scale.”

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Detachment 12, Kessel Run
Media and Communications Engagement
Email: media@kr.af.mil