Pentagon enters into a $1 billion contract with IT company "to combat misinformation"

In early August 2021, it became known that the US Department of Defense signed a five-year contract with Peraton worth up to $979 million to "combat misinformation emanating from US opponents." Contractor will provide services to U.S. Central Command and its partners in the area of operational planning, implementation and evaluation of measures taken.

The US Defense Bill of Fiscal 2016 included a clause stating that the Secretary of Defense should develop "creative and flexible concepts, technologies, and strategies" in all accessible media to limit the ability of opponents to convince, inspire, and recruit supporters. Since 2016, the Department of Defense has been working with private sector contractors to counter reports from US opponents, including ISIS, through the media, including social networks.

Pentagon enters into a $1 billion contract with IT company Peraton "to combat misinformation"

Peraton has been doing this work for the Central Command since 2016 as part of a threat messaging program. According to the company, the new contract will double the load under this program. Tom Afferton, president of Peraton's cyber mission sector, said:

Since 2016, Peraton has been conducting campaigns to ensure regional security and stability. We can provide the U.S. government with information, experience, and influence to help keep Americans, our allies, and more than 550 million people in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility safe on three continents in 20 countries.

In early August 2021, Peraton also won an IT infrastructure contract from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs for up to $497 million. The contract is for seven years. Peraton must provide a manageable infrastructure for storage and computing infrastructure in the United States and around the world. In concluding the contract, Peraton said it will introduce an enterprise-scale solution that integrates local infrastructure with VA's enterprise cloud architecture.^[1]

Notes