Report: US Defense still uses floppy disks in nuclear program

MANILA, Philippines — The United States Department of Defense still uses eight-inch floppy disks in its system that coordinates the country's nuclear forces, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

"Federal legacy IT investments are becoming increasingly obsolete: many use outdated software languages and hardware parts that are unsupported," the GAO report read.

The GAO further reported that some agencies still use systems that are at least 50 years old including the Departments of Treasury, Defense and Veteran Affairs.

The report revealed that the strategic automated command and control system of the US Defense runs on a 1970s computing system.

This system coordinates the operational functions of US nuclear forces including intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers and tanker support aircraft. The agency, however, is planning to update its system by the end of 2017.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Treasury still uses assembly language code, a computer language initially used in the 1950s.

"The agency has general plans to replace this investment, but there is no firm date associated with the transition," the report said.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently initiated to modernize, retire and replace the US government's old IT systems. It has drafted guidance which requires agencies to identify, prioritize and plan to modernize legacy systems.

"However, until this policy is finalized and fully executed, the government runs the risk of maintaining systems that have outlived their effectiveness," the GAO said.

The GAO initiated the study on aging legacy systems to assess agencies' spending, evaluate the oversight of legacy investments and assess the age and obsolescence of federal IT.