// UNMANNED SYSTEMS AND NEXT-GEN WARFARE TERM
Kessel Run
A nickname for a project or organization within the military that uses innovative, fast-paced methods, like those from the tech industry, to develop and deliver solutions much faster than traditional government processes. It is famously the name of a U.S. Air Force software development unit that builds applications for warfighters.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Kessel Run refers to a U.S. Air Force (USAF) software factory and acquisition initiative that employs Agile and DevSecOps methodologies to rapidly develop and deploy mission-critical software for military operations, such as air refueling and command and control (C2). The term metaphorically signifies bypassing bureaucratic acquisition processes to achieve speed and relevance, inspired by the fictional Star Wars smuggling route.
BACKGROUND
Kessel Run, formally "Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Detachment 12", is a United States Air Force software development division. Founded in 2017 by the Defense Innovation Unit, it is based in Hanscom Air Force Base and Boston, Massachusetts.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Agile Acquisition
- DevSecOps Initiative
- Software Factory
- Rapid Prototyping
- Pathfinder Project
- Skunk Works
USAGE NOTE
While originally the proper name for a specific Air Force unit (Kessel Run), the term is now often used informally to describe any similar fast-track, bureaucracy-busting development effort.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Kessel Run.
An official United States Air Force organization, designated Detachment 12 of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. It is a software acquisition and development unit focused on rapidly delivering combat-ready software solutions for air operations, using commercial practices like Agile and DevSecOps.
The parent military branch of the Kessel Run program. The USAF established Kessel Run to revolutionize its slow, traditional software acquisition processes and bring modern, continuous software delivery to its warfighters.
A Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise-level service that provides a secure, hardened DevSecOps platform. Kessel Run leverages Platform One's infrastructure and tools to build, test, and deploy its applications across various security classification levels.
The U.S. Army's counterpart to the Air Force's Kessel Run. It is a training and software development organization designed to build cloud-native applications and cultivate an organic software development capability within the Army, inspired by Kessel Run's success.
The U.S. Navy's workforce 'super-connector' focused on scaling agility and innovation. While not a single software factory, its Tech Bridge network fosters agile development and connects industry partners with naval needs, operating in a similar innovation space as Kessel Run.
Through its acquisition of Pivotal Software, VMware was a foundational commercial partner for Kessel Run. Pivotal Labs helped the Air Force implement the agile and extreme programming methodologies that are core to Kessel Run's rapid development model.
An open-source software company, now part of IBM, whose technologies are fundamental to the defense software ecosystem. Red Hat's OpenShift container platform is a core component of Platform One, the foundational layer upon which Kessel Run builds its applications.
A defense technology company that builds software and hardware for military applications. Anduril shares a similar ethos with Kessel Run, focusing on a software-first approach to rapidly deploy new capabilities, often competing or partnering in the same command-and-control space.