# Coast Guard Advances Zero Trust Security

The U.S. Coast Guard is consolidating its zero-trust work in a task force focused on securing operational technology and IT systems while modernizing roughly 300 applications. A September 2027 deadline is guiding the effort, and the Coast Guard has enabled GSA contractual vehicles to support the work; the signal identifies no specific solicitation, contract value, or procurement contact.

- Potential areas of contractor demand include identity management, SD-WAN and security foundations, OT cybersecurity, cloud migration, and low-code application modernization.
- Companies with relevant capabilities can assess whether the enabled GSA contractual vehicles provide an appropriate route to support Coast Guard requirements; no particular vehicle is identified in the signal.
- The September 2027 target gives suppliers a planning horizon of about 11 months for aligning relevant capabilities and delivery approaches with the Coast Guard’s modernization effort.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- General Services Administration (GSA)

### Key Quotes
> What we don't have is a logistics cell that is managing updating routers on 300 ships globally, managing their import schedules, when are they getting underway, how that changes on a regular basis, coordinating travel for all those personnel to do that, getting the hardware procured, shipped and configured ahead of time.
> — Capt. Patrick Thompson, technical director of infrastructure

### Sources
- [
        Task force driving Coast Guard’s zero trust journey for OT, IT systems - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2026/10/task-force-driving-coast-guards-zero-trust-journey-for-ot-it-systems) - Federal News Network