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April 29, 1997
Memo
Assistant Secretary of Defense Memo:
Use of the Ada Programming Language
by Emmett Paige, Jr.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
6000 DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON, DC 20301-6000
April 29, 1997
COMMAND, CONTROL,
COMMUNICATIONS AND
INTELLIGENCE
MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
UNDER SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE
DIRECTOR, DEFENSE RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING
ASSISTANT SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE
INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ASSISTANTS TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
DIRECTOR, OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION
DIRECTORS OF THE DEFENSE AGENCIES
DIRECTORS OF THE DOD FIELD ACTIVITIES
SUBJECT: Use of the Ada Programming Language
Last year, I asked the National Academy of Sciences' National Research
Council Computer Science and Telecommunications Board to study the Department of
Defense (DoD) software policies. After carefully reviewing and considering the
Board's final report, I have directed my staff to undertake the necessary
actions to revise the policy contained in DoD Directive 3405.1, "Computer
Programming Language Policy," to eliminate the mandatory requirement for
use of the Ada programming language in favor of an engineering approach to
selection of the language to be used. Additionally, DoD 5000.2-R,
"Mandatory Procedures for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) and
Major Automated Information System (MAIS) Acquisition Programs," will be
revised consistent with those changes.
In the interim, pending formal coordination of the necessary revisions, programming
language selections should be made in the context of the system and software
engineering factors that influence overall life-cycle costs, risks, and
potential for interoperability [emphasis added -- GC]. As appropriate, these
selections may be reviewed during milestone/system approval processes. Among the
factors that should be considered and appropriately documented in the decision
process are:
- system/software requirements, including performance, interoperability, reliability,
safety [emphasis added -- GC], and security requirements;
- system/software architecture, including partitioning into components;
- extent of compliance with/incorporation of other related direction (e.g.,
use of standards such as the Joint Technical Architecture, open systems, and
commercial-off- the-shelf software) and the impact thereof;
- selection of software development and support methodologies and processes;
- use of software development and support tools and generators;
- long-term maintenance implications, including evolvability and
supportability;
- and integration of software issues and decisions with other planning
considerations to include cost, schedule, acquisition strategy and staffing.
Ada should be one of the languages considered in this decision process
[emphasis added -- GC]; however, Ada waiver requests are no longer required when
another language is selected.
My point of contact for this action is Ms. Linda Brown, who is assigned to my
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control and Communications,
(703) 604-1590, e-mail: Linda.Brown@osd.pentagon.mil, or Mr. Samuel Worthington,
(703) 604-1584.
/signed/
Emmett Paige, Jr.
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