The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has entered into a comprehensive enterprise agreement with Red Hat to modernise its digital infrastructure, accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), and standardise its hybrid cloud operations.
This strategic partnership provides centralised access to Red Hat’s suite of open-source solutions for all MOD departments, including the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Space Command, and Cyber and Specialist Operations Command. Crucially for the wider defence industrial base, the agreement also extends access to approved third-party providers, ensuring a consistent and secure digital environment for contractors and sub-contractors working on national technology programmes.
Managed through the Defence Digital Foundry, the agreement aims to establish a unified “digital backbone” that allows for faster innovation and improved resilience across the UK’s critical national infrastructure. By standardising on Red Hat platforms, the MOD seeks to mitigate cyber threats and reduce the fragmentation that often occurs within complex IT estates. For businesses in the supply chain, this move offers a common foundation for collaboration, enabling smoother integration between private sector innovations and military requirements. Computacenter is currently supporting the onboarding process, which includes access to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenShift Platform Plus, Ansible Automation Platform, and Red Hat AI.
A primary focus of the investment is the ability to scale AI initiatives across various workloads. The agreement provides developers and data scientists with a consistent platform to build and deploy AI models on-premise, in the cloud, or at the tactical edge. This flexibility is expected to reduce the time-to-market for new applications, moving capabilities from prototype to operational deployment with greater efficiency. Furthermore, the inclusion of the Ansible Automation Platform is intended to drive enterprise-wide automation, reducing manual tasks and improving compliance across IT operations and security orchestration.
The partnership also offers significant opportunities for workforce development within the defence sector. MOD personnel and their industry partners can utilise Red Hat Services, including hands-on training and dedicated consulting, to ensure that the latest cloud-native and DevSecOps practices are adopted across the supply chain. This emphasis on “secure-by-design” principles aligns with recent government policy to strengthen national security while fostering an ecosystem where third-party providers can innovate at pace. By creating a scalable and interoperable digital framework, the MOD is positioning itself to maintain a strategic advantage in an era where data-driven capabilities and rapid software deployment are critical to mission success.
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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