This directory (ietf/static/) exists for the sole purpose of providing a visible
location for ietf/static/bower.json, a bower file which lists the external
web assets used by the datatracker.
In order to update the version of a component listed in ietf/static/bower.json,
or add a new one, you should edit bower.json, and then run the management command:
$ ietf/manage.py bower_install
That command will fetch the required version of each external component listed in bower.json
(actually, it will do this for all bower.json files found in the static/ directories
of all INSTALLED_APPS and the directories in settings.STATICFILES_DIRS), saving them
temporarily under .tmp/bower_components/; it will then extract the relevant js and
css files and place them in an appropriately named directory under static/lib/. The
latter location is controlled by COMPONENT_ROOT in settings.py.
(Not surprisingly, you need to have bower installed in order to use this management command.)