Pentagon Promotes Cyber Effects-as-a-Service Contracting Approach

The Pentagon is promoting Cyber Effects-as-a-Service, or CEaaS, a contracting approach focused on specified cyber outcomes instead of particular tools or bespoke capabilities. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Katie Sutton said demand from senior department leadership and combatant commanders exceeded available supply.

Key details

• Sutton advocated closer operational ties between the U.S. government and industry, including greater use of industry expertise and ideas.
• Draft versions of a forthcoming Department of Defense cyber strategy proposed a larger role for contractors in operations, according to the reporting.
• The reporting said it drew on more than a dozen current industry participants, former Pentagon officials and academics.

Katie Sutton said demand for cyber capabilities from senior department leaders and combatant commanders exceeded available supply.

Why it matters

A shift toward contracting for defined outcomes could change how the Pentagon works with companies that provide cyber capabilities. Sutton’s comments also point to a relationship that reaches beyond procurement to operational collaboration.

What happens next

The proposed approach could shape how government and industry work together on cyber capabilities. What kinds of outcomes should future contracts prioritize?