Salesforce.com Unveils “Missionforce”: A Strategic Foray Into National Security

Missionforce to Modernize U.S. National Security with AI and Cloud

NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – In a major expansion of its public sector efforts, Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) today launched Missionforce, a new business unit focused on modernizing the country’s security capabilities with tools powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and modern enterprise platforms. The move reaffirms the company’s commitment to assist defense, intelligence, and aerospace agencies in improving their operational efficiency and decision-making.

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Launched on September 16, 2025, Missionforce is intended to bring together Salesforce’s experience in AI, data science, and cloud with essential defense operations. The unit will target three main areas:

• Directorate of Personnel / Personnel Management:
  • Enabling more efficient business operations through the hire-to-retire process.
  • Achieving human readiness and maximizing personnel value.
  • Delivering solutions that streamline operations across recruitment and system retirement.
• Logistics & Supply Chain:
  • Mechanizing supply and technical support operations.
  • Ensuring continuous operation of services with reduced downtime.
• Decision Support & Analytics:
  • Leveraging generative AI to create data-driven insights and decision briefs.
  • Optimizing strategic planning and responsiveness.

Kendall Collins, who became Chief Business Officer and Marc Benioff’s Chief of Staff at Salesforce in 2023, has been appointed CEO of Government Cloud for Missionforce. Collins stated that the unit’s mission is to:

“Work across DOD to multiply the benefits of AI: from enabling new warfighting concepts, to improving and speeding up decision-making, reducing the risk of civilian casualties, and enhancing the safety of national assets—enabling defense professionals across every service to work smarter, faster.”

Building on Established Government Relationships

Salesforce has collaborated with multiple U.S. federal agencies and branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force. While the company does not disclose the number or value of these contracts, the launch of Missionforce represents a full-scale commitment to national security.

This initiative is likely to:

• Strengthen existing government partnerships.
• Open opportunities to support and develop defense and intelligence organizations.

Meeting the Challenge to Modernize Federal IT

The federal government is actively seeking to upgrade outdated IT systems. Currently, much of federal IT spending is allocated to legacy systems, leaving limited resources for cutting-edge tools like AI and automation.

Missionforce aims to address this gap by:

• Creating trusted and explainable automation capabilities.
• Improving operational effectiveness and decision-making processes.

Competing in a Growing Market

Salesforce’s entry into the national security market positions it alongside tech giants including:

• Microsoft
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google / Alphabet Inc.
• Palantir
• IBM

However, Salesforce differentiates itself by focusing on:

• Complex, multi-stakeholder workflows across employees, contractors, and partners.
• Providing air-gapped deployment and secure integration for case management.
• Leveraging existing patterns from civilian agency programs, rather than competing solely on AI model scale.

The Emergence of Agentic AI in Defense

A unique feature of Missionforce is its emphasis on ‘agentic AI’, which refers to AI capable of acting independently to assist in decision-making and operational tasks.

Applications include:

• Logistics coordination
• Personnel readiness assessment

Collins highlighted the importance of integrating AI agents alongside humans, noting that future military missions will increasingly rely on combined human-AI operations.

State of the Industry: Exploding Use of AI for Government

Missionforce aligns with a broader industry trend of developing AI solutions for government use:

• OpenAI: Released a government edition of ChatGPT and offered it to federal agencies at modest enterprise-tier costs.
• Google: Introduced “Gemini for Government,” providing AI offerings at discounted prices to federal agencies.

These initiatives reflect the industry’s recognition that federal agencies require scalable, battle-tested AI to enhance national security capabilities.

Looking Ahead: Missionforce’s Strategic Impact

The creation of Missionforce positions Salesforce as a key player in U.S. national security modernization. By leveraging AI, cloud computing, and data analytics, the unit plans to deliver solutions tailored to the specific challenges faced by defense and intelligence agencies.

As the federal government focuses on:

• IT modernization
• AI integration into mission-critical operations
• Enhancing national security

Missionforce has the potential to define new operational strategies and serve as a cornerstone in shaping the future of defense technology.