US Nuclear Forces Still Use Floppy Disks for Operational Functions

The technology being used by the US nuclear forces is obsolete and the hardware parts are unsupported.

Floppy disks came into use in the 1970’s before being phased out by CDs in the late 1990s. (Photo: iStockphoto)

• The US’ nuclear force still uses obsolete floppy disks designed in the 1970s to coordinate some of its operational functions, says a watchdog report. According to a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Pentagon was still using 1970s-era computing systems that require “eight-inch floppy disks.”
  
  
• Federal legacy IT investments are becoming increasingly obsolete, many use outdated software languages and hardware parts that are unsupported. Agencies reported using several systems that have components that are, in some cases, at least 50 years old,
  
  
• The GAO report says that US government departments spend upwards of $60 billion a year on operating and maintaining out-of-date technologies.The report says the Pentagon is planning to replace its floppy systems by the end of 2017. Other departments were also put on notice to update their systems.
  
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(With inputs from PTI.)