A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***There is a lot of current discussion about the need for the Department of Defense to move faster and more efficiently, including by using more commercially available software. The “Houthi PC small group” incident highlighted the attractiveness of using a communications app like Signal rather than traditional, more cumbersome U.S. government tools — but it also demonstrated the security risks. Going forward, how should the U.S. government balance the benefits of efficiency and speed with security risks when it comes to commercially available software?Read more below.Mackenzie Eaglen Senior Fellow, American Enterprise InstituteThe “Signalgate” episode spotlighted a recurring failure in government: the absence of secure, intuitive communication tools. In warzones from Ukraine to Gaza, frontline troops rely on commercial apps like Signal, Telegram, and Discord — not because they’re ideal, but because they work. They’re mobile-first, easy to use, and widely available. Compare that to government systems, which are slow to scale, clunky to use, glitchy, and perpetually a generation behind.This isn’t a technology issue. It’s an institutional one — reflecting the Department of Defense’s inability to adopt and adapt commercial solutions at operational speed. By the time of approval, the software’s already obsolete — or worse, the mission has moved on.Rigid budget categories, cost-type contracts, and acquisition processes built for hardware constrain progress. Even off-the-shelf tools face delays due to mandatory competition, years-long budget cycles, and inflexible purchasing rules. To close this gap, Washington should create flexible software-specific funding, expand fixed-price and subscription contracting, and update purchasing rules to match the pace of the real world.Emerson T. Brooking Director
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***There is a lot of current discussion about the need for the Department of Defense to move faster and more efficiently, including by using more commercially available software. The “Houthi PC small group” incident highlighted the attractiveness of using a communications app like Signal rather than traditional, more cumbersome U.S. government tools — but it also demonstrated the security
