Jane Edwards 
- Booz Allen has signed an enterprise license agreement with Chainguard
- More than 6,000 engineers gain access to Chainguard’s containers and libraries
- The 2026 FedCiv Summit will explore AI adoption, cloud infrastructure and more
Booz Allen Hamilton and Chainguard have signed an enterprise license agreement, or ELA, to expand the use of secure open source software across Booz Allen’s federal work.
As agencies and industry continue to prioritize secure software supply chains and faster authorization pathways, the Potomac Officers Club will host the 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29 to explore artificial intelligence adoption, cloud infrastructure and modernization priorities shaping federal technology. Government and industry leaders will gather to discuss what’s next for federal civilian innovation. Register now to save your seat.
What Does the Agreement Intend to Bring to Booz Allen?
Under the agreement, Chainguard said Tuesday more than 6,000 Booz Allen engineers will get access to Chainguard Containers and Chainguard Libraries across programs supporting federal civilian agencies, the Department of War and the intelligence community.
According to Chainguard, the agreement is meant to give Booz Allen engineering teams a secure foundation to build on from the start of a project, rather than requiring teams to identify and fix vulnerabilities after development. The company said this can reduce the engineering time federal teams typically spend on authority to operate processes, vulnerability management and supply chain requirements.
The deal builds on a partnership Booz Allen and Chainguard formed in October to advance software supply chain security for government agencies and defense programs. That collaboration combined Booz Allen’s federal mission capabilities with Chainguard’s secure-by-default open source containers, with the goal of helping federal programs reduce vulnerabilities, streamline engineering processes and speed up compliance.
What Did Booz Allen & Chainguard Officials Say About the Agreement?
Leo Barella, senior vice president and chief information officer at Booz Allen, said speed and trust are required in advancing federal missions.
“Chainguard’s container images give our engineers a strong foundation for both — they are minimal, continuously rebuilt to remove known vulnerabilities, and shipped with a transparent supply chain,” Barella said. “Expanding the use of Chainguard across our delivery environments can help us accelerate secure, reliable outcomes for our customers.”
Dan Lorenc, CEO and co-founder of Chainguard, said Booz Allen’s work touches nearly every corner of the federal government, and that by expanding its use of Chainguard, the company is showing that speed and security do not have to be a tradeoff.
What Is Chainguard Containers?
Chainguard Containers is a catalog of more than 2,600 container images built from source in hardened infrastructure. Each image ships with zero known common vulnerabilities and exposure at the time of release. The images also include signed software bills of materials and attestations to support supply chain transparency, along with FIPS-validated cryptography to help meet federal compliance requirements.
