Presented by Infoblox
While the military has made significant modernization progress over the last decade, achieving true interoperability remains a massive hurdle. Chad Keefer, Head of U.S. Federal for Infoblox Federal, points out that the government currently operates with isolated "pockets of excellence". Agencies rely heavily on "vertical platforms that operate independently," such as isolated firewalls and endpoints that perform well but fail to communicate with one another. Furthermore, operators are drowning in a "thicket of guidance" from the DoD, NIST, and OMB. While this guidance is directionally aligned, it often falls flat in practice, especially when Mission Partner Environments operate off entirely different technological baselines.
To achieve interoperability and realize complex architectures like Zero Trust, Keefer advocates for a transition to horizontal platforms. "We can also build more horizontal type platforms, like using the data as a control plane right underneath of these vertical silos," Keefer explains. By harmonizing this data, disparate network operations, security operations, and cloud teams can finally "operate off of those facts" and share a common operational picture.Importantly, this modernization does not mean agencies must entirely abandon their current infrastructure. Industry's role is to help agencies maximize their return on investment. "We don't often, all the time. Want the government to rip and replace we want to allow them to have efficiency," Keefer notes. Industry can provide platforms with open APIs to integrate existing tools and create repeatability.
While some organizations are eager to move fast, they are often slowed by bureaucratic red tape. Other agencies are hesitant because they believe their environments are uniquely special, requiring heavy customization, or they are reluctant to share data out of fear of "phoning home" to "Big Brother". Despite these challenges, industry remains focused on translating complex requirements into practical solutions that "operate off a common picture that really helps the agency drive the mission forward". Over the next year, tracking the progress of Zero Trust and the breakdown of vertical silos will be critical for the department's modernization success.
This interview appeared in the program Innovation in Government at WEST 2026
