Today's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and defense mission platforms are software-intensive systems operating across highly complex ecosystems. As these systems grow more sophisticated, so do the threats they face.
And like much of the software that powers the modern world, they are not always maintained as rigorously as they should be. This is particularly the case with commercial systems being adapted for defense use. Like other industries, UAS software supply chains struggle with outdated dependencies, legacy components, and insufficient vulnerability remediation. However, the stakes are high, with national security and lives potentially at risk.
The drive for speed compounds the problem. Getting the right tools into the field quickly is a priority in national defense, which means sourcing from the commercial sector. Yet many of these manufacturers lack the experience of building to military airworthiness or cybersecurity standards. A compromised software supply chain threatens mission success, national security, and puts lives at risk.
The role of UAS has expanded dramatically — from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to long-range missions that include both autonomous and kinetic operations. Unlike conventional enterprise software, defense aviation platforms face a distinct risk profile.
Many unmanned systems are built from layers of dependencies that mirror the complexity of vehicles, helicopters, or fixed-wing aircraft. Software modules for flight, communication, and sensors each carry their own subcomponents, some maintained, others far from the most recent versions. In practice, this means fleets can operate with a patchwork of software ranging from up-to-date frameworks to components potentially untouched for years.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations represent a distinct challenge for unmanned systems. Unlike recreational drones flown within visual range, BVLOS missions may extend hundreds of miles and demand complex autonomy for target identification, navigation, and even weapons deployment. These capabilities raise critical safety and security concerns, from RF jamming and command override to vulnerabilities in communications links and backend integration.
The integration of AI and machine learning capabilities into defense systems introduces additional complexity. Modern autonomous systems may run lightweight onboard AI/ML inference models to support autonomy and mission-decision aids to enhance decision-making capabilities, while communicating with larger AI-driven systems for mission coordination.
These AI components often depend on packages from ecosystems like PyPI, npm, or Hugging Face, where verification of model security and integrity becomes critical. The rapid pace of AI development means that new vulnerabilities and attack vectors emerge faster than traditional security assessments can address them. Complex dependency structures can be difficult to map and monitor. A single application might depend on hundreds of components, each with its own dependencies, creating transitive relationships that extend several layers deep.
Federal defense and security strategy has shifted decisively toward speed. Rather than focusing solely on restriction, initiatives now emphasize automation, rapid deployment, and visibility into the components that make up a system. Executive Orders 14028, along with DoD initiatives such as Software Fast Track (SWFT), reinforce this through secure development pipelines, software bills of materials (SBOMs), and AI-driven vetting. For many agencies, compliance resources are already stretched thin, and mandates sometimes remain unmet years after being introduced. Even when compliance frameworks exist, organizations face hard choices. Commanders under operational pressure often prioritize mission assurance over cybersecurity — making effective early dependency management and automation essential to bridge the gap.
Effective dependency management is essential to meeting these requirements. A growing trend is the emphasis on comprehensive SBOMs, which give security teams the visibility they need to understand how vulnerabilities in deeply nested dependencies could affect mission-critical systems. Automated dependency scanning tools enhance this process by continuously monitoring components, notifying teams when new vulnerabilities appear or when dependencies are no longer maintained.
Achieving comprehensive software supply chain security requires integrated toolchains that automate security processes while providing the visibility and control that federal agencies demand. These tools must seamlessly integrate into existing development workflows without disrupting established processes or slowing development velocity.
Modern dependency scanning tools go beyond simple vulnerability identification to provide comprehensive risk assessments that consider component maintenance status, license compatibility, and operational risks. These tools can analyze both direct and transitive dependencies, providing complete visibility into the software supply chain.
Comprehensive vulnerability management requires platforms that can aggregate security information from multiple sources, correlate vulnerabilities across different components, and provide prioritized remediation guidance based on operational risk assessments.
Automated policy enforcement capabilities enable these platforms to block deployment of components that don't meet established security requirements while providing clear guidance for achieving compliance.
Automated SBOM generation tools integrate directly into build processes, ensuring comprehensive software inventories are created without additional manual effort from development teams. These tools should support both CycloneDX and SPDX formats, with CycloneDX preferred for its more comprehensive information model.
SBOM management platforms provide life cycle management capabilities, tracking how software compositions change over time and maintaining historical records that support compliance auditing. Integration with vulnerability databases enables these platforms to automatically identify when new vulnerabilities affect deployed systems.
Beyond regulation, agencies face a practical barrier: resources. Persistent resource constraints and workforce shortages strain agencies, and those who remain are stretched thin. Leaders are asking, What's the minimum viable cybersecurity program we can run? The result is a culture of prioritization, where security often loses to immediate operational needs. The path forward requires embracing automation to free up security professionals to focus on strategic decisions rather than repetitive manual tasks.
When automated systems handle routine security assessments, policy enforcement, and compliance verification, security teams can dedicate their expertise to addressing emerging threats and optimizing security architectures. Federal agencies that invest in comprehensive software supply chain security today position themselves to maintain technological superiority while ensuring that the software powering their most critical systems remains trustworthy and resilient. Now is the time to explore how automation can transform your agency's approach to software supply chain security.
With government software development tools built specifically for federal teams, agencies can strengthen resilience, streamline compliance, and stay mission-ready.