R 101330Z MAR 23
MARADMIN 137/23
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC DCI WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MARINE CORPS SOFTWARE FACTORY PILOT//
POC/CHARLIE S. BAHK/LTCOL/EMAIL: CHARLIE.BAHK@USMC.MIL//
POC/JEFFERY L. AVERETTE/MSGT/EMAIL: JEFFERY.AVERETTE@USMC.MIL//
POC/JUSTIN N. MCLINN/GYSGT/EMAIL: JUSTIN.MCLINN@USMC.MIL//
POC/PATRICK R. SHERLUND/SSGT/EMAIL: PATRICK.SHERLUND@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  To announce the establishment of the Marine Corps Software Factory (MCSWF) pilot.  This MARADMIN is to inform the Service of the MCSWF and its organic software development capabilities.
2.  Background.
2.a To compete on the digital battlefields of the future, the Department of Defense (DoD) has begun leveraging modern software development as an internal core competency.  This digital transformation enables Services to respond better to emerging threats.  In 2018, the United States Air Force founded a software factory organization, Kessel Run, to bring an agile approach to software development and delivery.  The Navy also established a software factory prototype in 2018.  In 2019, the DoD Defense Innovation Board published a landmark study on software development. The study recommended that each Service has organic development units that can create software for specific needs and that serve as an entry point for software development capability in military and civilian roles.  May 29, 2020, the Secretary of the Army established the Soldier-led Army Software Factory (ASWF) in Austin, Texas.
2.b.  March 25, 2021, MARADMIN 164/21 was released via Information, Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (IC4) division soliciting participation in the inaugural Marine Corps Micro-Application Development Innovation Challenge.  The Innovation Challenge yielded promising results and proved that given the right resources, talented Marines across the MOS spectrum can design and deliver software capabilities from the tactical to strategic levels. Subsequent micro-application innovation challenges consistently revealed untapped technical talent and a demand signal for organically developed software solutions within the Marine Corps.
3.  Program Specifics.
3.a.  March 10, 2023, the Marine Corps established the MCSWF.  The MCSWF will enable Marine Corps modernization efforts by developing applications for commanders at the speed of operations. MCSWF willincrease the operating force’s lethality while increasing efficiency and effectiveness of supported units.  The MCSWF will implement a three-year pilot program to experiment and prototype how Marine-led software development capability is delivered in a deliberate and sustainable way to the Service.  Lessons learned on-site at the MCSWF will inform senior leadership on how best to scale this capability to operational units to ready them from competition to conflict.
3.b.  The MCSWF will leverage the Army Software Factory’s ASWF facilities in Austin, Texas to share tools, training, and production resources.  The MCSWF has developed a formal agreement with Army Futures Command, establishing a collaborative partnership.  Partnering with ASWF will accelerate and operationalize software development modernization efforts at a significantly reduced cost.    
4. Participation
4.a.  Details regarding lateral moves (LATMOVE) and implementation will be released via separate correspondence in future MARADMINS to outline how Marines can apply to the MCSWF.  The initial MCSWF cohort was sourced from the Communications Occupational Field.  Future candidates will be solicited across the Service from any MOS.Marines selected to attend the MCSWF will undergo a three-year program consisting of three phases: a technical accelerator, one-to-one pairing enablement, and employment utilization.  For the first three months, Marines will attend a technical accelerator to establish a baseline skillset.  Then, Marines will work one-to-one with technical experts from industry while solving real Marine problem sets.  Marines who successfully complete the enablement phase will receive the 0673 Necessary MOS (Application Developer). Marines will spend the final 24 months in a utilization tour building Marine Corps software solutions while continuing to advance their skillsets.
4.b.  The MCSWF is established to deliver outcomes to commanders at a time of relevance for Marines, by Marines.  Initial problem sets have been selected for the first cohort of Marines.  Future problem sets will be sourced from the Service beginning with the second cohort. More information about the MCSWF can be found at the following link: https:(slash)(slash)www.hqmc.marines.mil/mcswf. 
5.  Release authorized by LtGen M. G. Glavy, Headquarters Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Information.//