Preparations underway for JWCC-Next by DISA, as Olympus and JOE initiatives gain traction
The Defense Department is set to introduce a new version of the Joint Warfighting Cloud Computing (JWCC) contract, known as JWCC-Next. This upcoming contract aims to bring significant changes, particularly in broadening access to third-party vendors within the ecosystems of large hyperscale cloud providers [1].
JWCC-Next seeks to enable warfighters to access not only core services from hyperscale providers but also ancillary services offered by third-party vendors in those providers’ ecosystems. By doing so, it eliminates the need for multiple separate contracts [1].
In addition to this, JWCC-Next plans to expand the pool of eligible cloud service providers (CSPs) beyond the current major hyperscalers. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is actively exploring partnerships with smaller businesses capable of delivering a wide range of IT services, including cloud engineering, cybersecurity, financial management, program execution, and technical writing to support cloud migration and leveraging commercial cloud technologies [3][5].
This move from a more limited set of major cloud vendors (currently AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google, Oracle) to potentially include additional U.S.-based CSPs that can meet DoD requirements is a significant shift [2].
The solicitation for JWCC-Next is expected to be issued in the second quarter of FY 2026, with contract awards anticipated in early 2027. The upcoming contract will be timed to avoid overlap with the current JWCC contract, which will expire in 2031 if all options are exercised [1].
Meanwhile, DISA is bringing the joint operational edge (JOE) capability to commands located outside the continental United States, starting with Indo-Pacific Command, including Hawaii, Japan, South Korea, and Guam, and recently expanding access to the Middle East and European theaters. With the managed service format, military services and defense agencies won't need the expertise to implement, maintain, and update the infrastructure [6].
The Army has mandated the use of the JWCC contract vehicle for all new cloud acquisitions at the secret and unclassified levels [7]. Since the awarding of JWCC in November 2021, the military services or defense agencies have awarded over $3 billion in task orders under the contract [8].
Under the new approach for Olympus, mission partners will be able to buy a managed service format of infrastructure-as-code capability, where DISA builds the infrastructure-as-code for them. The Defense Department is planning to transition Olympus, DISA's infrastructure-as-code initiative, to a Defense working capital fund capability starting October 1, 2025 [9].
The managed service format of Olympus is expected to provide better and easier security for users [10]. The use of Olympus is expected to result in a seven-month reduction from the beginning to getting the authority to operate (ATO) of their capability [11].
One of the changes expected in JWCC-Next is to facilitate easier movement of applications and services to the cloud for military services or defense agencies [12]. The final solicitation for JWCC-Next is still months away, but the feedback received from DoD mission partners is that they do not want to run the infrastructure-as-code themselves, and prefer a managed service format [13].
The next version of the JWCC contract is planned to be released in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, reflecting the rapid evolution of the cloud market [14]. The systems deployed through JOE are on U.S. soil and follow U.S. data sovereignty rules [15].
In summary, JWCC-Next intends to provide warfighters integrated access to the full ecosystem of hyperscale providers, including associated third-party vendor services. It also aims to open eligibility to a broader range of cloud service providers, including smaller, potentially more specialized firms, to offer more diverse cloud capabilities. The contract timeline aligns with the expiration of the current JWCC, with solicitation expected in mid-2026 and awards by early 2027 [1][2][3][5].
Technology will play a significant role in the upcoming JWCC-Next contract, as it aims to broaden access to third-party vendors within the ecosystems of large hyperscale cloud providers. This contract also intends to open eligibility to a broader range of cloud service providers, potentially including smaller, more specialized firms, to offer more diverse cloud capabilities.
