Original Broadcast Date: 03/08/2026

Presented by Rancher Government Solutions

The Pentagon is accelerating efforts to push computing power and mission capabilities closer to the battlefield edge. Adam Toy, Chief Technology Officer at Rancher Government Solutions, explains why the shift toward edge computing is becoming a major priority across the Pentagon, the intelligence community, civilian agencies, and even commercial organizations.

Toy begins by addressing a basic question: what exactly is “the edge” in today’s technology environment?

He explains that the edge is somewhat subjective. Different organizations define it differently depending on their operational environment and mission requirements. In fact, he says if ten people who work in edge computing are asked to define it, they will likely give ten different answers—and all of them could be correct.

Despite those differences, Toy says there is a clear trend across government and industry toward pushing more workloads and capabilities outward. He describes this trend as a “perfect storm” where advancing technology capabilities intersect with operational necessity.

From a technology standpoint, computing hardware continues to improve rapidly. Systems are becoming smaller, more powerful, and more energy efficient. Toy notes that even graphics processing units (GPUs), which are commonly used to run artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, can now operate in tactical edge environments.

At the same time, operational realities are forcing the military to rethink where computing happens. Connectivity to centralized infrastructure, such as data centers or cloud environments, cannot always be guaranteed during military operations.

Toy explains that cyber warfare and contested environments make consistent connectivity increasingly unrealistic. As a result, mission-critical workloads must be able to run independently at the edge, often directly in the hands of warfighters.

The further computing capabilities can be pushed toward the edge, Toy says, the more secure and capable operations can become.

However, moving workloads outward introduces new challenges. One major issue is the diversity of environments where edge systems must operate.

Toy notes that edge environments can range widely. Satellite communications systems, aircraft carriers, wearable soldier technology, and tactical deployment kits all have different requirements. Even data centers can sometimes be considered edge environments if they operate disconnected from larger networks.

This variety creates a significant technical challenge: managing and maintaining systems across many different locations and conditions.

Toy refers to this challenge as the “last mile problem.” Organizations must figure out how to administer and manage mission workloads across highly distributed systems.

Another challenge involves operating in disconnected or air-gapped environments. Toy estimates that roughly 80 to 90 percent of Rancher Government Solutions’ customers operate in some type of air-gapped environment, where systems cannot connect to outside networks.

This trend is becoming more common across both government and commercial sectors. In fact, Toy says some organizations are now designing systems assuming they will operate disconnected first, and then working backward toward connected environments when possible.

To address these challenges, platforms must simplify deployment and management processes. Toy emphasizes that soldiers and operators in the field should not need deep technical expertise to run mission applications.

Instead, systems must allow mission applications to be deployed quickly and securely using simple tools. Toy gives an example of a zero-touch installation, where a user could plug in a USB device, power on the system, and automatically launch a mission-critical application.

By simplifying deployment, organizations can ensure that edge systems remain usable even in demanding operational environments.

Security remains another major concern when pushing workloads to the edge. Toy says secure platforms must be built on hardened operating environments that meet federal security standards.

For example, platforms can be based on STIG-hardened implementations and other established security frameworks. When security is built into the platform itself, application developers can focus primarily on securing their own software rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Toy notes that edge computing is not limited to the Department of Defense. Civilian agencies and commercial organizations are also exploring edge technologies.

In some cases, agencies may treat a local data center as an edge environment if it operates disconnected from broader networks. Regardless of how the edge is defined, Toy says systems should be designed to operate flexibly across multiple environments.

Ultimately, the goal is to build platforms that allow mission applications to run anywhere they are needed. Whether deployed in a data center, on a ship, or on a wearable device carried by a soldier, applications should operate consistently.

By building systems on open standards and flexible architectures, organizations can ensure that applications remain portable and adaptable as mission requirements evolve.