Podcast: Break Things on Purpose | Omar Marrero, Chaos and Performance Engineering Lead at Kessel Run

In a podcast episode titled "Break Things on Purpose," Omar Marrero, Chaos and Performance Engineering Lead at Kessel Run, discusses chaos engineering within the Department of Defense (DOD). Kessel Run, described as a software factory within the DOD, aims to rapidly deliver combat capabilities and award-winning software to warfighters by integrating DevSecOps practices. Marrero shares insights on adopting chaos engineering to enhance system reliability by intentionally introducing disruptions to test the resilience of military software systems. He emphasizes starting with simple tests and scaling up while gaining leadership support by demonstrating the value of chaos engineering. Kessel Run has developed a team and tool called Bowcaster, which employs Chaos Plus—an approach combining chaos, performance, and cybersecurity testing—to ensure robust and fault-tolerant systems for the DOD. The discussion highlights the importance of iterative testing and collaboration with teams to address potential failure points, ultimately contributing to the DOD's broader DevSecOps transformation.