The U.S. Navy is insisting on sticking with the older Windows XP operating system for up to 100,000 of its computers. In order to allow the Navy to use the old system, the Navy is paying Microsoft millions of dollars to continue to receive security patches for Windows XP, IT World reports. 

The Navy's communications and information networks is run by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command signed a $9.1 million contract with Microsoft to allow the Navy to continue receiving security patches for Windows XP, Office 2003, Exchange 2003 and Windows Server 2003.

If the contract goes through 2017, it could be worth up to $30.8 million.

Microsoft considers Windows XP an obsolete product, and by July 14 Windows Server 2003 will also become mostly a dead product. Because of this, Microsoft stopped issuing free security patch updates to customers. Customers that insist on using these older products like the Navy can receive these updates on a paid basis.

The Navy tried shedding itself away from XP in 2013, but as of May of this year, it still had about 100,000 workstations using the old software.

"The Navy relies on a number of legacy applications and programs that are reliant on legacy Windows products," said Steven Davis, a spokesman for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. "Until those applications and programs are modernized or phased out, this continuity of services is required to maintain operational effectiveness." 

The Navy uses Microsoft applications that help its "criticial command and control systems" on both ships and land. These systems are connected to NIPRnet, the U.S. government's IP network for non-classified information, and SIPRnet, the network for classified information.

Using Windows XP and the other older software without this contract could expose the Navy to security vulnerabilites.

"Without this continued support, vulnerabilities to these systems will be discovered, with no patches to protect the systems," the Navy document stated. 

According to Ubergizmo, the Navy plans to eventually upgrade to more updated operating systems but did not say when.