The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and U.S. Cyber Command have launched a pilot program that intends to accelerate the delivery of strategic and tactical cybersecurity capabilities to cyber operators.
The Constellation pilot program will establish an iterative, user-directed pipeline to expedite the development and integration of cyber capabilities into CYBERCOM’s software ecosystem, DARPA said Monday.
“To have the greatest operational and strategic impact, these emergent capabilities must reach operators continuously in short timescales, much shorter than legacy acquisition processes,” said Kathleen Fisher, director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office.
“We are optimistic about Constellation’s potential to enable long-term sustainment for rapid cyber capability prototyping and integration. Running Constellation projects in parallel with DARPA development can help us reduce risks and transition timelines and overcome the ‘valley of death,’” added Fisher.
The pilot program will establish a framework and mechanisms to offer physical and virtual infrastructure, contracts and personnel and sustain relationships to help address the gap between operational warfighting capabilities and research and development.