# DoD Develops Cyber Effects-as-a-Service Model

The Department of Defense is developing Cyber Effects-as-a-Service (CEaaS), a procurement model for buying authorized cyber mission outcomes rather than equipment or tools. A late-September industry tabletop exercise helped move the concept toward practical implementation. Under the model, the government would retain control of objectives, authorizations, and inherently governmental functions. No solicitation, contract value, or award timeline has been identified.

- Contractors should prepare to demonstrate how they would operate under government direction and oversight, measure mission outcomes, and manage legal and operational exposure.
- The tabletop exercise indicates that DoD is testing how the model could work in practice, but it does not establish a current solicitation or award opportunity.
- Companies can follow DoD’s framework development and assess whether their capabilities support outcomes-based cyber services while preserving government control of mission decisions.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Cybersecurity
**Published:** October 27, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM)

### Vendors
- Twenty ()
- Axonius Federal Systems ()

### Key Quotes
> We cannot rely on legacy processes alone to meet a machine-speed threat. We need outcomes-focused relationships that pair government direction and accountability with the unmatched innovation of the American private sector.
> — Katie Sutton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy

> If poorly governed and successful, the Pentagon will decide that if a little dependence on contractors is good, then a lot must be way better. The program will get out of hand with contractors conducting far more operations than is wise against the intelligence and military forces of nuclear-armed rivals. If poorly governed and unsuccessful, the Pentagon may decide that they need to further remove restraints, engaging yet more persistently and taking even greater risks.
> — Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University

### Sources
- [How the Pentagon wants to buy cyber outcomes, not equipment - Breaking Defense](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/10/how-the-pentagon-wants-to-buy-cyber-outcomes-not-equipment) - Breaking Defense