The Department of Defense (DoD) takes the flow of information seriously. As missions become more data-driven, DoD recognizes that having an informational advantage is a mission advantage.
Of course, information is conveyed through content — which is why, to fully harness its informational power, DoD must treat secure content management as a strategic priority. And now, with the Adobe Joint Enterprise License Agreement (JELA) for DoD, the Pentagon and its components have a quicker path to procuring the tools and capabilities they need to support secure content management across the enterprise.
Why is secure content management so critical to DoD?
Simply, because information feeds every DoD operation. When managed the right way, content equips operators with the information they need — precisely when they need it — with the right level of protection. To be effective, content must be timely and targeted to each audience and mission objective — whether that’s getting operational information to warfighters on the edges, providing command information to service members and families, conducting influence campaigns with the general public or engaging prospective recruits. It also needs to be accurate and easily consumable on the right channel and device. Finally, it has to be stored in a way that’s both secure and accessible to the right people. And all of this needs to happen at scale.
A secure content management strategy can address all of these needs. Without one, DoD opens itself to inaccuracies, delayed decisions, and compromised intelligence — all of which can bring down operational effectiveness and public trust.
What’s driving the need for secure content management?
More complexity, more content.
Today’s missions are complex and highly data dependent. More than ever, staying operationally effective means being able to translate data into usable content and deliver it at the speed of relevance, to the right people, with the right protections. As data multiplies across more domains, a robust content management strategy is the only way to achieve operational effectiveness and efficiency at scale.
New technologies and expectations.
People are consuming content differently than they used to. They need it faster, in more formats, across more channels and devices. Whether it’s battlefield content to and from the edge, social media posts for the general public, multimedia content for personnel training, or traditional documents like policy memos, press releases, and speeches — it all needs to be produced for the right audience and published to the right channel in near real time.
Meanwhile, the rise of AI and spatial computing is fueling even higher expectations for quality and speed. And as AI adoption grows, so will concerns around content authenticity. This means DoD must have a reliable way to verify and authenticate digital content as a core part of its content management strategy.
Strategic mandates.
In 2023, the Pentagon announced its plan to modernize how it collects, processes, and shares information across the Joint Force. Naturally, content management plays a key role in this. The right strategy will help the DoD make best use of its people, processes, and capabilities to transmit more timely and accurate insights. This will give DoD the informational advantage it needs to stay ahead of its adversaries.
What’s JELA, and why does DoD need it?
Adobe JELA for DoD is a multi-year contract that makes Adobe solutions available to DoD under one simplified agreement. By consolidating software and licensing on a common contract vehicle, JELA speeds up software acquisition, reduces licensing costs, and improves interoperability while guaranteeing compliance. This helps DoD agencies easily access the tools they need to modernize their workflows and processes — including content management.
Why is this a welcome change? Before JELA, distributed IT staff at the DoD had to manage thousands of individual software licenses. Moving to a common vehicle lets them leverage economies of scale for IT management and creates a smoother procurement experience. Because JELA is Adobe-specific, all solutions integrate easily by design — with each other and with existing systems.
And when it comes to content, DoD teams can use JELA to access a host of capabilities for enhancing content management — including tools for managing forms, documents, and multimedia content at every stage of the content lifecycle.
Some components, including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and several 4th Estate agencies, are already enrolled in JELA and realizing content-specific benefits, like:
- Complete integration of creative applications; analytics; CRM; digital assets; and access, workflow, and project management tools.
- Full visibility at every stage of the content lifecycle — helping teams find and remove bottlenecks; streamline approvals, audits, and compliance; and analyze content performance.
- Zero trust security to protect content at the data layer across domains and offline — with attribute-based access control and encryption.
- Cross-functional collaboration that unifies teams throughout the content lifecycle — giving them the tools they need to deliver consistent and tailored CX and EX with speed and scale.
- Inherent accessibility by creating documents that automatically comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and Section 508 requirements.
Gain Access to JELA.
Content is mission critical at every level, in every domain. By making secure content management a strategic priority, DoD can help policy leaders, decision makers, and warfighters strengthen their competitive advantage while it keeps the American people informed. Now through JELA, DoD components have direct access to the tools that make this possible.
Learn how to enroll in JELA and explore JELA benefits already available across the DoD.
Brian Chidester is the Head of Global Strategy & Innovation for Public Sector at Adobe and the host of the award-winning podcast “The Government Huddle” from GovExec. Mr. Chidester was a 2025 award recipient for the FORUM IT100 Award which honors individuals for driving innovation and advancement in the Federal government space. He also held global public sector leadership roles with OpenText, Arrow ECS and S&P Global. Mr. Chidester holds a B.S. in Communications Studies from Liberty University, is a Board Member for the University of South Florida – Muma College of Business, an advisor to the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance at the World Economic Forum, and a member of the Forbes Technology Council.
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