Daniel L. Simpson is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and an Air Force strategy & growth partner at IBM Federal.
For the Department of War, the cloud conversation is no longer about whether to move, but how to move intelligently and optimize workloads across a hybrid cloud landscape. Leaders are being asked to modernize aging applications, improve resilience, and support mission users across multiple environments. They are also responsible for supporting security, compliance and operational continuity. Many DoW program teams still regard cloud environments as a fragmented structure instead of an enterprise transformation strategy. The establishment of a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) would go a long way toward dispelling such notions.
A CCoE would provide the governance, technical leadership, and repeatable processes needed to create a coherent and achievable cloud and application modernization strategy. Acting as a bridge between mission demands and technology execution, a CCoE would help organizations prepare for the reality most are already facing: the future is not purely cloud-native, and it is not purely on-premises. It is hybrid.
That point is especially important where some mission systems simply “won’t go to the cloud,” making a hybrid approach a necessity rather than an architectural preference. Likewise, many environments are already a mix of cloud-hosted and non-cloud systems. With a CCoE, leaders and application developers are empowered to address hybrid cloud demands early instead of reacting to them later.
Addressing critical mission demands
At its core, a CCoE aligns mission and C2 priorities, security requirements, and modernization roadmaps. It creates a common operating model for deciding which applications should be rehosted, refactored, or rebuilt. Further, it identifies enterprise standards for platforms, security patterns, integration, and data management. And it establishes the decision framework needed to move from one-off cloud migrations to sustainable transformation.
The benefits of establishing a CCoE can be substantial. In a recent large-scale enterprise transformation IBM led for a major commercial airline, a CCoE was integral in the modernization of more than 680 applications and the reskilling of 2,500 IT employees. A 70% reduction in time-to-production and 30% increase in developer productivity resulted.
This matters because application modernization is about much more than lifting servers into a new environment. Many still depend on desktop-era applications that were never designed for distributed users, API-based integration, or elastic infrastructure. These systems often require thick clients, manual updates, tightly coupled databases, and brittle deployment models. The result? Mission execution slows down and costs increase.
Moving from desktop-bound systems to modern web applications is essential to agility. A well-structured CCoE can help DoW shift from that desktop paradigm to a modern web application framework. Applications are designed for browser-based access, centralized updates, modular services, Zero Trust access controls, and integration across environments. In addition, web-based applications are generally easier to scale, easier to secure consistently, and better suited for hybrid architectures where users may need access from different networks, enclaves, or operational contexts.
Crucially, hybrid cloud transformation creates mission benefits. When apps move to web-based architectures, organizations can standardize user experiences, accelerate release cycles, and reduce dependency on local device configurations. Security teams gain more visibility into potential vulnerabilities and threats and can close those gaps faster. It would also allow organizations to remediate the vulnerability once and push that fix to all sites. Operations teams gain more automation. Users gain more flexibility.
Instilling discipline
A CCoE also improves acquisition and investment discipline. Instead of allowing every program office to choose tools, hosting models, and implementation patterns independently, the CCoE creates guardrails. It can evaluate when to reuse existing capabilities, when to buy commercial solutions and when to build mission-specific applications. That kind of structured approach is reflected in modernization thinking that emphasizes: “Reuse existing first, then Buy/Build.”
Equally important, a CCoE helps resolve fragmentation of responsibility by defining who manages the integrated master schedule, who defines the baseline and security patterns, and who adjudicates issues between platform, application, and mission teams. The center also defines the workforce model. Some modernization efforts do not need pooled labor hours; they need dedicated expertise and functional ownership. Cloud transformation requires architects, engineers, security specialists, DevSecOps practitioners, and change leaders working in concert. A CCoE helps agencies build and organize teams while creating repeatable playbooks for future programs.
For defense and national security organizations, the case is even stronger. Hybrid cloud is shaped by operational realities, accreditation constraints, and network boundaries. Some environments may require isolated networks, separate authorizations, or non-cloud endpoints. A CCoE designs modernization strategies that respect those conditions rather than ignoring them.
Accelerating enterprise to edge performance
The CCoE can also help guide the inclusion of AI tools and strategies to increase the warfighter’s effectiveness, whether in managing IT, commanding flight operations, or operating at the edge. The CCoE accelerates decision-making, reduces duplicated effort, and improves mission outcomes.
In a mission environment defined by complexity, speed, and constant change, DoW cannot afford ad hoc cloud adoption approaches. It needs trusted and compliant hybrid cloud designs, standards, and a roadmap for modernization that meets users where they are today while preparing for where the mission is going tomorrow.