In an era where data superiority and technological agility are paramount to national security, the U.S. Air Force has taken a decisive step to overhaul its digital backbone, moving away from traditional, on-premise data centers toward a more dynamic and resilient cloud-based future. This strategic pivot is embodied by the service’s ambitious “Cloud One Next” initiative, a sweeping program designed to accelerate the enterprise-wide adoption of commercial cloud services. Culminating a highly competitive process, technology and defense firm Leidos has secured a pivotal six-year, $454.9 million task order to provide comprehensive systems architecture and common shared services. This award marks a significant milestone in the Air Force’s journey to establish a “cloud landing zone” that offers users automated, on-demand, and self-service access to critical applications and data, mirroring the efficiency and scalability of leading commercial technology models and fundamentally reshaping how the service branch manages its vast information technology landscape.
A Strategic Shift to Multi-Cloud Architecture
Under the terms of the new agreement, Leidos will assume the critical role of a managed services provider, tasked with the foundational responsibility of maintaining and modernizing the intricate Cloud One architecture. This involves much more than simple IT support; the company will act as a central broker for cloud capabilities, ensuring that Air Force users have seamless and secure access to the tools they need to execute their missions effectively. A core objective of this effort is to refine the cloud landing zone, a sophisticated environment that automates the provisioning of resources and empowers personnel with self-service functions. This transition is designed to significantly enhance operational tempo and reduce the administrative overhead associated with legacy systems. By centralizing the management of the cloud environment, the Air Force aims to standardize processes, improve security posture, and foster an ecosystem of innovation where new applications can be developed and deployed with unprecedented speed and efficiency across the entire service.
The contract specifically mandates that Leidos manage a diverse, multi-provider infrastructure, a strategic decision intended to prevent vendor lock-in and maximize flexibility for the Air Force. This work will span the four primary infrastructure environments supported by the Cloud One Next program: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud. By leveraging the unique strengths of each major commercial cloud provider, the Air Force can optimize performance, cost, and resilience for a wide array of workloads. Leidos’s responsibilities will also extend to a suite of essential user-facing services that are critical for day-to-day operations. These include managing help desk support to resolve technical issues, streamlining customer onboarding processes to accelerate adoption, maintaining secure remote access protocols for a distributed workforce, and ensuring the reliability of critical file transfer functions. This comprehensive approach ensures that the technological foundation is matched by robust, user-centric support, facilitating a smooth transition for thousands of personnel.
The Broader Context of Cloud One Next
This significant award to Leidos represents the final and crucial piece of a deliberately structured, three-part procurement strategy for the Cloud One Next program. The Air Force strategically split the follow-on to its earlier cloud initiative into distinct contracts to attract specialized expertise for different aspects of its modernization goals. The systems architecture and shared services contract, which Leidos secured, was highly sought after within the defense industry, attracting a total of 11 competitive offers. This intense competition underscores the strategic importance of the work and the industry’s recognition of the program’s scale and potential impact. By selecting Leidos to manage this core component, the Air Force has finalized the leadership structure for its next-generation cloud environment, setting the stage for a concerted push to migrate and modernize its vast portfolio of applications and data systems over the coming years, with this contract serving as the linchpin for the entire enterprise.
To fully appreciate the scope of the Cloud One Next initiative, it is essential to understand the other key components of its framework. The first major contract, a potential $743.1 million task order for enterprise application modernization and migration, was awarded to Booz Allen Hamilton. This component focuses on the complex work of refactoring, re-platforming, and migrating the Air Force’s legacy applications to the new cloud environments, a critical step in realizing the benefits of cloud-native technologies. The third and final part of the program was a substantial $1.6 billion contract intended for reselling cloud services from the commercial providers. This contract was initially awarded to Accenture but was later cancelled as part of a broader Department of Defense efficiency review aimed at streamlining procurement processes and reducing costs. This cancellation highlights the dynamic and often challenging nature of large-scale government IT modernization efforts, demonstrating a commitment to fiscal responsibility even as the department pursues aggressive technological advancement.
Future Trajectory for Air Force Operations
The finalization of the Cloud One Next contract structure signaled a fundamental transformation in the Air Force’s approach to information technology and data management. This initiative was designed to be far more than a simple infrastructure upgrade; it represented a foundational investment in future operational capabilities. By establishing a unified, secure, and flexible multi-cloud environment, the service positioned itself to fully leverage a new generation of data-intensive technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics. The contract provided a clear pathway for making mission-critical data accessible and actionable at an unprecedented scale, which was seen as essential for maintaining a decisive edge in an increasingly complex global security landscape. The award to Leidos, in concert with the other program components, laid the groundwork for a more agile, resilient, and data-centric force, capable of innovating and adapting at the speed of relevance. This strategic decision established a new benchmark for how military services could harness commercial technology to enhance mission effectiveness and secure their digital domain.
