While the US Congress was debating whether or not the government should go over the "fiscal cliff" last week, the US Department of Defense quietly issued a press release late on Friday that confirmed that parts of the military will be using a lot of new and upcoming Microsoft software products over the next few years.

The announcement confirmed that the DoD has signed a new three year software contract with Microsoft worth $617 million. The press release stated:

Under the agreement, the Army, Air Force and DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) can begin using the newest versions of Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office 2013, SharePoint 2013 and Windows 8, officials said, adding that Office 2013 provides enhanced security and content management tools.The package has been customized to meet the specific security needs of the Defense Department.

While $617 million sounds like a lot of money (and, well, it is), the DoD claims this new contract is the best price it has received from Microsoft compared to earlier agreements. The US Army says it will save $70 million a year for each of the three years the contract is in place.

Source: US Department of Defense | Image via US Department of Defense