Carahsoft wins $12M USAF contract for ICBM supply chain risk software

Reston, Virginia — Carahsoft, a government technology reseller based in Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract worth up to $12,000,000 to support the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) enterprise, according to the contract announcement.

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, will oversee the contract, with work expected to be completed by July 2029.

Contract Purpose and Scope

The contract funds software services designed to identify gaps and assess risks across the ICBM industrial base and its supply chains. This encompasses the network of manufacturers, subcontractors, and parts suppliers the military depends on to keep the missile force operational and ready to launch on short notice.

The nuclear missiles sitting in underground silos across the American heartland run on hardware that is more than five decades old. Keeping the parts flowing to maintain them received a $12 million boost in software support.

The Minuteman III Challenge

The missile fleet in question is the Minuteman III, the only ICBM currently in active U.S. service. This weapon system has been standing alert in silos across states including Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming for more than 50 years.

An intercontinental ballistic missile is a land-based nuclear weapon capable of striking targets thousands of miles away. It forms one leg of the American nuclear triad alongside submarine-launched missiles and bomber aircraft.

Keeping a five-decade-old missile system combat-ready means constantly hunting for replacement parts that manufacturers may have stopped producing years or even decades ago. Defense officials describe this as mounting supply chain pressure, including the possible discontinuation of critical components.

Carahsoft's Role

Carahsoft operates as a value-added reseller, a middleman that connects federal agencies with commercial technology products and manages the contracting, licensing, and support that comes with deploying them. This business model has made Carahsoft one of the largest technology suppliers to the U.S. government, according to background published on the company's website.

The contract's real purpose lies within the software itself: giving Air Force officials a clearer, more current picture of which suppliers in the ICBM supply chain are at risk of falling behind, running out of critical parts, or disappearing altogether.

The Sentinel Replacement Program

The Air Force has been working to replace Minuteman III with a new missile called the LGM-35A Sentinel, previously known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. This is under a development contract with Northrop Grumman potentially worth $13.3 billion, according to ExecutiveGov. However, Sentinel is still years from full deployment, meaning the aging Minuteman III force needs sustained industrial base support in the meantime.

Related Contract Activity

This is not the first time the Air Force has purchased software specifically to track supply chain risk. Weeks before the Carahsoft award, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center gave a $31 million contract to Govini, a company that rebranded as AIR, for a nearly identical mission: an integrated software-as-a-service platform to identify current and future ICBM supply chain gaps and assess risk, also to be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, according to reporting from ExecutiveBiz and OrangeSlices AI.

That earlier deal, worth roughly two and a half times the size of the Carahsoft contract, extended a relationship AIR's Enterprise Readiness platform began building with Air Force Global Strike Command in 2022. The two contracts appear to run on parallel tracks rather than compete directly. The Air Force's contract notice for the Carahsoft award does not explain how the two efforts relate or whether Carahsoft is delivering a different software product to a different set of program offices within the same ICBM enterprise.

Financial Details

The $12,000,000 figure represents a ceiling rather than a guaranteed payout — the maximum the government could spend under the agreement rather than money already committed.

• Only $731,250 in Fiscal Year 2026 research, development, test, and evaluation funds is being obligated at the time of the award
• Additional funding is expected to follow as the Air Force issues specific task orders against the contract over its roughly three-year lifespan

The deal was competitively bid, with the Air Force receiving four offers before selecting Carahsoft.