13 February 2026
Red Hat has signed an enterprise agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence that gives MoD teams and approved third parties central access to Red Hat hybrid cloud, automation and AI platforms.
The agreement covers core Red Hat software used across the department, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, Red Hat AI and Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization. It also extends access across the Defence Digital Foundry, a shared digital service capability spanning the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, Space and Cyber & Specialist Operations Command.
Defence organisations face sustained pressure to modernise ageing IT, speed up delivery of new digital services and improve cyber resilience. The MoD is aiming to standardise its digital environment and strengthen security across workloads and services, with a focus on interoperability between internal teams and suppliers.
Under the agreement, MoD staff and approved third-party providers can use common Red Hat platforms across on-premises environments, public cloud and edge deployments. Red Hat OpenShift provides a standardised environment for building and running applications. The deal also includes Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, which enables organisations to run virtual machines alongside containerised workloads within OpenShift.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is also included, supporting automation across IT operations, configuration management, security orchestration and service provisioning. MoD teams and suppliers often work across multiple networks and infrastructure stacks, which adds operational complexity. A single automation approach can reduce manual steps and standardise repeatable processes.
AI tooling is also in scope. Red Hat positions Red Hat AI as a platform for developing and running AI workloads across different infrastructure options. The MoD wants a common foundation to scale AI initiatives across teams and reduce fragmentation.
Computacenter will support onboarding and access under the enterprise agreement. The systems integrator is expected to manage practical rollout activities tied to software access and adoption. MoD users will also have access to Red Hat Services, including technical expertise, training and time with Red Hat Consulting. In large government environments, adoption often depends on consistent engineering practices and skills development across dispersed teams. The MoD has highlighted upskilling and sharing common patterns as part of the operating model it wants to reinforce.
The agreement reflects continued momentum behind hybrid cloud in government, where sensitive workloads, legacy systems and operational constraints can limit a full move to public cloud. The MoD operates a complex technology landscape and works with a broad supplier ecosystem. Standardised platforms can reduce duplication across teams and simplify application lifecycle management.
OpenShift is based on Kubernetes, an open-source system for orchestrating containers. In enterprise and public sector settings, Kubernetes is often used as a consistent layer for deploying applications across different infrastructure environments. The MoD said the agreement will improve consistency across its operating environment and strengthen its cyber posture by standardising platforms and software supply chain management.
Joanna Hodgson, Regional Manager, UK and Ireland at Red Hat, said the company is pleased to support the UK Ministry of Defence on its path to faster digital transformation and greater efficiency. "Red Hat is pleased to support the UK Ministry of Defence on its path to faster digital transformation and greater efficiency by helping to make the organisation's IT landscape more responsive and adaptable," said Hodgson. "With Red Hat providing a centralised cloud-native platform and approach, all teams across the UK Ministry of Defence can develop and deliver new mission-driven digital services faster with a more consistent security footprint. Red Hat offers flexibility and scalability to deploy any application or any AI model on their choice of hardware, whether on premise, in any cloud or at the edge, helping the UK Ministry of Defence to harness the latest technologies, including AI."
Mivy James, Chief Technology Officer at the UK Ministry of Defence, said Red Hat is helping Defence Digital Foundry build a unified, modern digital backbone. "Red Hat is helping Defence Digital Foundry build our unified, modern digital backbone to keep the UK Ministry of Defence agile and innovative," said James. "With this enterprise agreement, people up and down the country working for the UK Ministry of Defence can more easily and reliably access tools and collaborate using common Red Hat-based platforms, and we're able to increase operational efficiency, save resources and optimise costs. Easing access to Red Hat platforms becomes all the more important for the UK Ministry of Defence in the era of AI, where rapid adoption, replicating good practice and the ability to scale are critical to strategic advantage."
The MoD and its approved suppliers will now move through onboarding to access the platforms and services covered by the agreement, with the Defence Digital Foundry acting as a central point for shared delivery across the department.
