Software Engineering Institute

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) program, funded under Program Element (PE) 0603781D8Z and managed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, is a critical component of the Department of Defense's (DoD) advanced technology development portfolio. The primary goal of this program is to research, develop, and rapidly transition state-of-the-art software technologies, tools, development environments, and best practices to enhance the engineering, management, fielding, evolution, acquisition, and sustainment of software-intensive DoD systems. The SEI, operated as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) by Carnegie Mellon University, serves as a national resource for advancing software engineering capabilities across the DoD and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

The program specifically supports the Department's strategic initiatives to build a sustainable, long-term technological advantage and to foster a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem. As software becomes increasingly pervasive and complex in defense systems ranging from communications and command platforms to advanced weapon systems the DoD faces significant challenges in designing, managing, and securing these mission-critical, software-intensive systems. The SEI program addresses these challenges by providing technical leadership, innovation, and rapid technology transition to ensure the DoD maintains a competitive edge in software engineering.

SEI advanced technology development in the area of software engineering, systems verification and validation, and mission assurance focuses on maturing and prototyping techniques for verifying requirements, systems-of-systems architectures, and virtual integration of components. The objective is to develop and transition capabilities that assure software reliability, analyze and control unverified code, and automate the repair of damaged code. This research is particularly relevant as the scale and complexity of software, including AI-enabled systems, increase.

Planned efforts for FY 2025 include integrating automated learning techniques for system measurement, model-based systems engineering, and developing prototype systems for DoD applications. In FY 2026, the program will leverage AI-generated software methods to automate system composition and validate these results using advanced statistical and model-based techniques.

SEI advanced technology development in the area of information assurance addresses the growing threat of adversarial manipulation of software and data, particularly in the context of machine learning and automated systems. The goal is to develop methods to defend against and minimize the impact of information falsification attacks, ensuring that algorithms remain trustworthy and effective even in contested environments.

In FY 2025, the program will enable combined distributional machine learning for risk analysis, integrating software, machine learning, and cybersecurity to assess and manage risks in automated systems. FY 2026 plans include developing methodologies to understand and improve the effect of training data sets on software system generation and validating software integration through curated training data.

The SEI program's research directly benefits several critical technical domains, including Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I); Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI); Cybersecurity; and Engineered Resilient Systems. By advancing verification, validation, and mission assurance techniques, the program supports the development of resilient, secure, and reliable software systems that underpin modern military operations.

Justification for continued investment in the SEI program is rooted in the increasing reliance on software-intensive systems and the need to address emerging threats and challenges in software engineering. The program's collaborative approach engaging government, industry, and academia ensures that the latest research and best practices are rapidly transitioned into operational use, supporting both current and future DoD needs.

Budget adjustments for FY 2026 reflect reductions due to FFRDC funding changes and updated economic assumptions. Despite these adjustments, the program maintains its focus on high-priority research areas and continues to deliver advanced technology solutions to the DoD. The SEI's ongoing efforts are essential for maintaining the DoD's technological superiority and for ensuring the security and effectiveness of software-driven defense capabilities.