# U.S. Army Awards NCODE Cybersecurity Contracts

The U.S. Army has awarded multiple contracts under the Next-Gen Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves (NCODE) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle to eight companies, including Exostar and Summit 7, to support a five-year, $49 million pilot program starting May 15, 2026. This initiative aims to enhance cybersecurity compliance for small businesses within the Defense Industrial Base by helping them meet NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC requirements. The program pairs small suppliers with Verified External Service Providers (VESPs) to facilitate secure cloud-based environments and cybersecurity controls, thereby improving their eligibility for Department of Defense contracts and strengthening mission readiness across multiple military branches.

- The NCODE program focuses on small businesses with 2-10 employees in the Defense Industrial Base, supporting up to 1,000 organizations initially with plans to expand to thousands more.
- Procurement professionals should note the involvement of the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground as the managing authority for this IDIQ contract vehicle.
- Vendors specializing in cybersecurity compliance solutions and secure enclave technologies have new opportunities to engage as prime contractors or service providers under this program.
- The $49 million budget over five years signals sustained investment in cybersecurity support for defense suppliers, emphasizing the importance of compliance with NIST and CMMC standards for DoD contract eligibility.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Cloud Services
**Published:** May 08, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army (Army)
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- U.S. Army Contracting Command

### Vendors
- Exostar (awardee)
- Summit 7 (prime contractor)
- ATX Capital Partners/ATX Defense (awardee)
- Beryllium Infosec (awardee)
- Cytex (awardee)

### Key Quotes
> These highly innovative companies bring capabilities to the ecosystem that we cannot afford to lose. Summit 7 is incredibly excited to help these companies continue to bring new capabilities to market for our warfighters.
> — Scott Edwards, CEO, Summit 7

> NCODE is a groundbreaking solution for businesses that may struggle to achieve NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC compliance requirements.
> — Dan Yaciuk, Director of Federal Sales, Summit 7

> We’re proud to support a scalable approach that helps suppliers meet cybersecurity requirements while accelerating mission readiness.
> — Richard Addi, President, CEO, Exostar

### Sources
- [U.S Army Selects Exostar to Participate on NCODE IDIQ Contract | Morningstar](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260506ph52037/us-army-selects-exostar-to-participate-on-ncode-idiq-contract) - Morningstar
- [U.S Army Selects Exostar to Participate on NCODE IDIQ Contract](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-army-selects-exostar-to-participate-on-ncode-idiq-contract-302763962.html) - PR Newswire
- [US Army selects Exostar to participate on NCODE IDIQ contract](https://www.satelliteevolution.com/post/us-army-selects-exostar-to-participate-on-ncode-idiq-contract) - Satellite Evolution