AWS demonstrates resilient and secure edge-to-cloud at Department of Defense exercise

The US Department of Defense (DoD) increasingly relies on commercial efforts to adopt and integrate novel and emerging technologies that are critical for mission success. The modern defense landscape evolves rapidly, and industry collaboration is a key component of success.

In his March 6, 2025 memorandum, “Directing Modern Software Acquisition to Maximize Lethality”, Secretary of Defense, The Honorable Pete Hegseth, echoes this sentiment when he asserts that “[the] DoD must maximize the use of its existing authorities, contracting strategies, and processes for software acquisition. This will enable [the DoD] to immediately shift to a construct designed to keep pace with commercial technology advancements…”

HAQM Web Services (AWS) has risen to the challenge to fulfill this commercial- and collaborative-focused approach to advancing military innovation. Most recently, AWS did so through its participation in the Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) series of events.

Hosted by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD/R&E), T-REX events are venues for the rapid prototyping and experimentation of technology for military use. “Competition is complex and adaptive. To outpace competitors, we need tools to probe the future. By measuring the relative mission value of emerging technologies and capabilities, these experiments provide a body of evidence to make decisions,” said Dr. An ‘Mike’ Tran, Director of Prototyping and Experimentation/Assessments, OUSD/R&E. “That evidence helps decide what to investigate further, and prove when capabilities are ready for production-scale investment.” At these events, the DoD evaluates defense industrial base (DIB) solutions and commercial technology for military applications.

AWS and partner General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) successfully demonstrated a multi-domain, cloud-computing capability at the two most recent iterations of T-REX. T-REX 24-2 was held from August 19-28, 2024, and T-REX 25-1, a counter-unmanned aerial system limited objective experimentation, from March 6-21, 2025.

Tony Jacobs briefs Cloud Edge Global Access (CEGA) on AWS to distinguished visitors, highlighting the data feeds and interconnectivity it provides to the exercise’s Common Operating Picture (COP).

The DoD validates AWS commercial technology for military application

Using Cloud Edge Global Access (CEGA) on AWS, the team delivered resilient and secure network access to AWS GovCloud from the tactical edge. CEGA is an auto-Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) communication solutions using Software-Defined Wide Area Networks. CEGA harnesses the power of the AWS global backbone to bring speed and resiliency to tactical networks wherever AWS’s customers operate.

CEGA’s use showcased multi-domain utility to accelerate data-to-decision for military commanders. The team established tactical-edge nodes integrating air, ground, and maritime data. Data from these nodes was fed into a common operating picture (COP), delivering comprehensive command and control (C2) support to T-REX staff and participants.

The Defense Operations Grid Mesh Accelerator (DOGMA)—a joint solution with AWS and GDIT—integrates GDIT’s LunaAI predictive analytics with multiple AWS services, like HAQM Simple Storage Service (HAQM S3), HAQM Kinesis, HAQM Athena, HAQM SageMaker, AWS Lambda, and AWS Wickr. It provides a robust, scalable, and secure environment for managing and executing military missions. DOGMA aligns with DoD objectives by supporting seamless communication, real-time data processing, and efficient resource management.

This integration of advanced analytics and cloud services ensures that DOGMA can meet the dynamic needs of modern military operations by providing real-time insights and forecasts critical for mission success. Using DOGMA, AWS and GDIT demonstrated artificial intelligence (AI) predictive modeling of drone threats both in the AWS Cloud and at the edge.

Figure 1. Architectural diagram of the AWS and GDIT solution, DOGMA, using CEGA on AWS and GDIT’s LunaAI. Major AWS components in the solution include HAQM Kinesis, HAQM Athena, and AWS Wickr.

AWS enables next-generation autonomous capabilities for the DoD

In an era where operational agility and information superiority are paramount, cloud-enabled autonomous systems are not just meeting current needs; they are anticipating and shaping the battlespace of tomorrow. At T-REX 24-2 and T-REX 25-1, AWS and its partners also demonstrated the future of autonomous mission management of UAS for DoD missions.

With Tactical Edge Embodied AI Mesh (TEEAM), AWS collaborated with defense industry partner Gambit to demonstrate single operating management of multiple unmanned aerial systems (UAS) using AI-developed behavioral patterns. This enabled UAS operators to more efficiently control UAS swarms with direction from mission commanders.

Leveraging AWS’s strategic partnership with GDIT, AWS supported the OUSD/R&E during T-REX 25-2 with DOGMA. DOGMA integrated sixteen distinct data sources and provided a unified COP that enhanced situational awareness and decision-making across eight event locations. This directly supported the Task Force Research and Development Experimentation Reserve (TF RDER) Base Defense Operations Centers on both Camp Atterbury and on Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana. AWS tactical-edge nodes, along with CEGA on AWS, delivered resilient and secure edge-to-cloud connectivity and allowed multiple participants to successfully demonstrate their autonomy capabilities.

As part of the T-REX events, OUSD/R&E evaluators conducted an assessment of AWS’s and GDIT’s solution. The evaluators collected data on three critical operational issues, eight objectives, and fifteen measures of effectiveness. These evaluations were repeated over several days of the event and across multiple sensor types and network paths.

AWS also acted as a resource provider for TF RDER by providing infrastructure support. AWS provided backhaul connectivity to connect T-REX 25-1 participants’ solutions with each other, to other participants’ solutions, to the TF RDER COP, and to the internet and AWS Cloud as part of the larger event network.

“I want to thank AWS for delivering a resilient network backbone that enabled the other companies to demonstrate their capabilities for TREX,” added Marcia Holmes, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities. “Leveraging T-REX as a venue, we can test these innovations at a relevant, operational environment enhancing operational readiness through collaboration.”

Conclusion

AWS’s commercial applications of commercial cloud technology for its defense customers represents a significant step towards modernizing national defense capabilities. Together with AI and autonomous systems, AWS and GDIT are enhancing situational awareness for DoD mission commanders while setting a new standard for public-private partnerships in national security.

Stay tuned for updates on other ways AWS is reshaping the battlespace for its defense customers. Whether through mission innovation initiatives at the tactical edge or in the AWS Cloud, AWS is making a difference in the public sector. For more information on AWS’s role in defense modernization, visit our Cloud Computing for U.S. Defense and our Tactical Edge webpages.