Microsoft plans to grant Lockheed Martin access to its classified cloud as part of a three-year deal, which will make it easier for the largest American defense contractor to share information with the Pentagon.
The secure cloud partnership will also enable Lockheed Martin to avoid some of the repetitive security compliance processes that have been previously required for each new government project.
Four Critical Areas
According to the two companies, the potentially game-changing agreement will span four critical areas for the DoD. It will include the classified cloud innovations, whereby Lockheed Martin will become the first non-government entity to independently operate inside Microsoft Azure Government Secret Cloud, which promises to usher in a new era of cloud opportunities for the defense sector.
Microsoft and Lockheed Martin will enter a two-year collaborative research and development (R&D) program aimed at providing advanced artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), along with modeling and simulation capabilities, for the DoD. The R&D agreement will also expand the companies’ existing collaboration to deliver advanced networking and secure 5G.MIL capabilities at the tactical edge.
In addition, Microsoft Azure will power Lockheed Martin’s “digital transformation journey” to accelerate enterprise-wide productivity gains and to deliver innovation at scale, and enhance choice and flexibility. This is meant to help create the next generation of defense technologies.
“Our national security leaders need an unassailable information advantage, which is why we’re bringing the power of the hyperscale cloud to accelerate their national security missions,” said Jason Zander, executive vice president, Strategic Missions and Technologies, Microsoft, via a statement.
“In partnership with Lockheed Martin, we’re demonstrating how the defense industrial base can bring classified data into the cloud securely while bringing advanced 5G connectivity, critical data processing and analysis, and immersive experiences to the edge to support decision- making where it’s needed, when it’s needed,” added Zander. “Lockheed Martin is a valued partner in this effort, and we’ll continue to innovate and explore the art of the possible to support national security.
Program Advantages
Work on developing the classified and unclassified cloud environments are already underway, with expectations for the project to be operational in 2023. Microsoft and Lockheed Martin have highlighted that this endeavor has the potential to cut costs for the DoD, but that it could also minimize risk to service members by providing a digital alternative for some military exercises.
Lockheed Martin will be able to utilize Microsoft’s cloud-based gaming, exercising, modeling, and simulation tools to test military systems and technologies virtually – reducing the need for prototypes to be developed, while also limiting in-person exercises.
The two companies will also rely on the 5G.MIL technologies to develop secure, resilient communication systems that are interoperable with and seamlessly link to existing DoD networks.
First of Future Collaboration?
This is the first, but it may not be the last of such collaborative efforts. It also suggests that security may be in place to ensure that this doesn’t create a giant cloud-based target for hackers.
“The announcement is interesting for a couple of reasons,” said technology analyst Charles King of Pund-IT. “Since Lockheed Martin is the first commercial company to operate in Microsoft secure DoD cloud, it likely passed a thorough review of its security and other best practices. That’s not surprising given Lockheed Martin’s long history of work with the DoD. But it is also likely to face scrutiny as its work with Microsoft proceeds to ensure that security requirements are followed correctly.”
The capabilities unlocked by this collaboration will also apply to a range of defense applications across all domains: land, sea, air, space, and cyber.
“Since Lockheed Martin and Microsoft are already partnering on secure 5G networking and other development efforts, the companies are familiar with one another’s strengths and shortcomings,” added King. “Given that, this new initiative simply expands on and extends their relationship and collaboration.”
