General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has been awarded a $120 million task order to deploy an AI-enabled cybersecurity architecture across 187 US Air Force bases worldwide, significantly expanding the service’s zero trust defenses. The contract falls under the Next Generation Gateway program, a key Air Force initiative aimed at modernizing enterprise-level network security.
Under the award, GDIT will roll out its Everest Zero Trust Digital Accelerator, a data-centric cybersecurity solution designed to protect information across all security classification levels. The system will serve more than one million users globally, leveraging artificial intelligence to improve threat detection, accelerate response times, and reduce cyber risk across Air Force networks.
The deployment supports the Department of Defense’s broader push toward zero trust cybersecurity, a model built on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Zero trust requires continuous validation of users, devices, and applications, regardless of whether they operate inside or outside traditional network boundaries, helping defend against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
The US Department of Defense has made zero trust a strategic priority, with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) integrating zero trust controls into cloud environments and validating configurations through specialized labs and assessment tools. Industry partners continue to contribute to this effort, including Xage Security, which secured a US Space Force contract in 2023 to develop zero trust access and identity management technologies.
