The Army wants software agents, not analysts working through sensor logs by hand, to make the first defensive move against intruders on its networks, and it has chosen two commercial firms to show this can work. The service selected Amazon Web Services and World Wide Technology on Oct. 23 to support Project Griffin, a pilot valued at a combined $2.6 million. The goal is an autonomous, agentic platform that lets cyber defenders neutralize threats faster. The Army published its announcement on Oct. 26, and Griffin is one of the first efforts under the Army's Project ARDS cyber initiative.
The award is small in dollar terms. It matters because it shows how the Army is buying AI for network defense: short sprints, a large field of industry submissions cut down to two vendors, and a pilot-sized contract rather than a full program.
What Project Griffin Is Supposed to Build
The Army release states the program's objective plainly. Project Griffin aims "to build an autonomous, SI-driven capability to eliminate typical vulnerabilities caused by manual data analysis and human action." The service says it is seeking "an autonomous, agentic SI platform that will allow cyber defenders to neutralize cyber threats at faster speeds."
"SI" stands for superintelligence. As DefenseScoop noted, superintelligence is the Trump administration's preferred name for artificial intelligence. In practice, the Army is describing agentic AI: software that takes defensive actions on its own instead of only flagging alerts for a person to review.
DefenseScoop described the aim as an ecosystem of agents that will use information gleaned from the Army's network sensors and take defensive measures to thwart potential threats, faster than a human operator can. The department released a solicitation in August seeking agentic AI solutions for an Intelligent Response and Orchestration Node, or IRON, capability under Project Griffin.
Brandon Pugh, principal cyber advisor to the secretary of the Army, tied the effort to a wider push. "We will swiftly implement SI-enabled cyber tools to detect, divert and deceive threat actors, and rapidly adopt agentic SI to securely scale network defense and disruption," Pugh said in the Army release. "The selection of AWS and WWT allows us to move at the speed of business required to deliver that capability."
How Two Vendors Came Out of More Than 100 Submissions
The field was crowded. At the AUSA annual conference in Washington earlier in October, Pugh said the Army received over 100 industry submissions and picked two vendors, according to DefenseScoop. He did not identify the awardees at the time. The Oct. 23 selection named them as AWS and WWT.
WWT has already said how it plans to deliver. Keith Linenberger, an area vice president at WWT, highlighted the selection in a LinkedIn post, as quoted by DefenseScoop: "WWT is partnering with Crogl to deliver API- and MCP-based integrations connecting AI agents with the tools and data cyber teams rely on." He called the work a prototype that "mirrors similar efforts we are delivering in the [U.S. Air Force]." DefenseScoop reported that media and PR officials at AWS and WWT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Army has not publicly split the $2.6 million between the two companies. The release gives only the combined value of the pilot.
Where Griffin Sits Inside Project ARDS
Griffin is one of three accelerated efforts under Project ARDS. DefenseScoop expands the name as the Army Rapid Development of Cyber Defense Systems, while the Army release renders it slightly differently. According to the Army, ARDS is led by the Army principal cyber advisor together with the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, Army Cyber Command, the chief information officer and other Army leaders. Its job is to help identify, acquire and transition promising capabilities for Army cyber defenders.
The Project Manager, Cyber Warfare, under the Portfolio Management Executive for Intelligence and Spectrum Warfare, will manage execution of Project Griffin. Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, provides contract support. Pugh described ARDS as "advancing the Army's adoption of SI-enabled cyber defense capabilities through rapid sprints in conjunction with industry partners."
Col. David Bergmann, the project manager for cyber warfare, credited the acquisition approach with the speed of the selection. "Partnering with commercial industry is a national security imperative for the Army, as the private sector drives rapid innovation in superintelligence, cloud architecture and cyber operations capabilities," Bergmann said. "Through our flexible procurement methods, we were able to quickly seek out SI solutions that will advance the cyber warfighter."
What It Means for Contractors
Griffin offers several lessons for companies that sell cyber, cloud or AI tools to the Army.
Expect pilot-sized entry points. A $2.6 million combined pilot covering two vendors is a prototype budget, not a program of record. The Army describes ARDS as working through rapid sprints with industry partners. Vendors should price and staff for fast, narrow demonstrations, and the competition is steep: more than 100 submissions produced two selections.
Integration is the product. WWT's public description of its approach, which pairs with Crogl to connect AI agents to existing cyber tools and data through API- and MCP-based integrations, points to where the value may lie. DefenseScoop describes agents that draw on the Army's existing network sensors, not another standalone console. Firms with agent frameworks, security orchestration tools or sensor data pipelines could look for teaming roles with the prime vendors.
Learn the vocabulary. Army documents now say "SI" where most of industry says AI. Proposals for ARDS-related solicitations should match the government's terms and should address the stated goals of removing vulnerabilities created by manual analysis and human action and responding faster than a human operator.
Watch the other two ARDS efforts. The Army describes Griffin as one of three accelerated efforts under Project ARDS. Companies that missed the August IRON solicitation should track the Project Manager, Cyber Warfare and Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground for future opportunities, since ARDS exists to help identify, acquire and transition capabilities to cyber defenders.
Plan for autonomy questions. An agent that takes defensive action without waiting for a person raises obvious questions about oversight, error handling and security of the agents themselves. Neither source describes how the Army will test or govern those behaviors in Griffin. Vendors that can show controlled, auditable autonomy will likely have an easier time making their case.
