Securing a Department of Defense (DoD) Authority to Operate (ATO) is one of the most critical and most challenging steps for any dual-use or defense-focused software company.

Without an ATO, your product can’t touch live mission environments and make an impact. But the process is long, expensive, and shaped by evolving cybersecurity requirements from multiple stakeholders, including the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

In this guide, we unpack what a DoD ATO is, how it differs from FedRAMP, the common challenges companies face, and practical ways to navigate the process more efficiently.

What Is a DoD ATO?

A DoD ATO is a formal security certification that grants a software system the ability to run within a DoD environment. It’s a cornerstone of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and is required for any system accessing DoD data or infrastructure.

At its core, an ATO is a formal risk acceptance. It means a senior official has reviewed your system and determined that the mission benefit outweighs the potential security risk. When an ATO is granted, it indicates:

• The system’s architecture and connections are clearly understood
• Its mission is defined and justified
• The benefits outweigh the risks it introduces

The ATO is issued by an Authorizing Official (AO), typically a senior DoD civilian or military officer who has the authority to formally accept risk on behalf of the government.

DoD ATO vs. FedRAMP ATO: What’s the difference?

Many companies entering the federal market confuse the DoD’s ATO process with FedRAMP. While both are rooted in the same NIST 800-53 security controls, they apply to different environments, stakeholders, and mission requirements. Understanding how they diverge helps teams avoid wasted effort and ensure they’re targeting the right certification path.

	DoD ATO	FedRAMP ATO
Audience	Military & DoD entities (e.g., Army, COCOMs)	Federal Civilian agencies (e.g., GSA, VA)
Based on	NIST 800-53 + DISA STIGs + DoD Cloud Computing SRG	NIST 800-53 + DISA STIGs
Environment	Dedicated IL2–IL6 DoD networks	Commercial GovClouds
Controls	Tailored to DoD mission needs	Standardized by FedRAMP PMO

🚧 The DoD process is typically more stringent, often involving stricter implementation guidance, mission-specific controls, and—in some cases—deployment into classified environments. 

Many of these requirements are shaped by DISA, which publishes the Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG) and STIGs that define how systems must be secured for deployment on DoD networks.

Read more about DISA, what a DISA PA is, and how it accelerates access to the DoD for tech companies.

Why a DoD ATO matters

An ATO is a green light to work with mission users.

• Without it, you can’t deploy on DoD networks.
• With it, you unlock billions in opportunities, from programs of record to production contracts.
• It signals trust—that your software meets the rigorous standards required to support national security missions.

In the defense market, ATO is a competitive advantage, especially for dual-use startups looking to scale within the DoD.

Dual-use startups are companies whose technologies serve both commercial and defense applications—for example, AI, cybersecurity, logistics, or cloud software providers. For these companies, securing a DoD ATO can be the difference between staying a niche commercial vendor and scaling into billion-dollar defense programs.

DoD cloud impact levels (ILs): what they mean

DoD Impact Levels define the sensitivity of the data your system handles and dictate the security, infrastructure, and personnel requirements for where and how you deploy.

Impact Level	Data Type	Networks
IL2	Public or non-sensitive	Open Internet
IL4	Controlled Unclassified Info (CUI)	NIPR
IL5	National Security System (NSS) CUI	NIPR
IL6	Classified (Secret)	SIPR

🔐 IL4 and above require hosting in DoD-authorized environments, implementation of DISA STIGs, and alignment with the DoD Cloud Computing SRG.
🔐 IL5/IL6  include all IL4 requirements, plus additional restrictions, such as the need for government-furnished infrastructure (GFE), direct access to classified networks (e.g., SIPRNet), and tighter access controls.

Learn more about DoD Cloud Impact Levels.

Read more about DISA, what a DISA PA is, and how it accelerates access to the DoD for tech companies.

From pilot to production: When ATO becomes essential

Your path to DoD deployment often starts with a pilot, SBIR, or prototype contract. But scaling to a full program of record requires formal authorization.

Here’s how the journey usually looks:

1. Lab-based Proof of Concept
   → No ATO required
2. Limited pilot or demonstration
   → May operate under “ATO-in-progress” or waiver
3. Real-world deployment / scaling
   → Requires full ATO

In some cases, you might receive an Interim Authority to Test (IATT)—a temporary authorization to evaluate your system in a controlled environment without live data.

🚧 Many vendors stall here. That’s where 2F Game Warden helps: accelerating the ATO journey without forcing you to rebuild or rehost your product.

The DoD ATO process: simplified

Phase 1: Prepare

• Choose an authorized CSP (e.g., AWS GovCloud or GCP)
• Secure a sponsoring agency
• Build a System Security Plan (SSP)
• Prepare compliance documentation and architecture diagrams

Phase 2: Assess & Authorize

• Implement security controls (NIST, SRG, STIGs)
• Work with an assessor (e.g., SCA-V or 3PAO)
• Address findings through a Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M)
• Submit ATO package to the sponsor’s AO for review
• AO grants ATO based on risk posture

Phase 3: Monitor

• Run monthly scans and manage vulnerabilities
• Update documentation as the system evolves
• Report regularly to your sponsor
• ATO renewal is typically required every 3 years

Why the DoD process is so challenging

Securing a DoD ATO is a daunting and often prohibitive process for even the most well-resourced tech companies. Here’s why:

High cost and time burden

The average ATO costs over $3M and takes 18–24+ months to complete. It requires dedicated staff, security consultants, and infrastructure built to spec.

Complex and inconsistent standards

Navigating hundreds of NIST 800-53 controls, CNSSI overlays, and evolving STIGs with limited guidance and little standardization across branches.

No unified, scalable solution

Each new deployment often requires a separate ATO effort, duplicating work and delaying adoption—even for the same system at a new command.

Ongoing compliance headaches

Delivering continuous monitoring, reporting, and vulnerability management demands full-time security operations teams, often diverting engineering resources.

Bottlenecks for innovation

Without agility or portability, promising capabilities get stuck in test environments while accreditors and assessors are buried under manual workloads.

Why we built 2F Game Warden—and what it enables

Securing a DoD ATO is high stakes—and often painfully slow. Every program has different requirements, accreditors and assessors are stretched thin, and vendors end up reinventing the wheel just to deliver the same capability in new environments.

We built 2F Game Warden to remove that friction. Our secure DevSecOps platform streamlines the end-to-end authorization process so government and industry can work together to deliver modern, mission-ready software faster.

One Company. One Platform. One Mission.

With 2F Game Warden, you gain a single trusted partner with proven security authorizations and deep government expertise. You can build and scale on a flexible DevSecOps platform designed for complex application needs—and know that our success is tied to yours. From initial development to day-two operations and growth, we’re more than software. We’re a long-term partner from Day 1 development through Day 2 operations and growth.

Deploy at Modern Speed and Cost

2F Game Warden cuts accreditation and deployment timelines from years to months. With modern CI/CD automation and transparent, usage-based pricing, you stay agile, compliant, and cost-efficient as you scale across the public sector.

Build Once. Deploy Everywhere.

Whether you need to run in the cloud, on-prem, or hybrid, 2F Game Warden gives you the flexibility to deploy across DoD, federal civilian, and state/local agencies. Our platform is already aligned to leading compliance frameworks—including DoD IL2–IL6, JWICS, FedRAMP (Low–High), GovRAMP (Low–High), and certified at DISA PA IL5 High—so you can build once and deliver everywhere without duplicating effort.

Your Freedom: Simplified Authorization Without the Burden

Inherit our existing DoD authorizations—removing the need to start your own ATO journey from scratch. This streamlines deployment and accelerates time-to-mission, while we handle the ongoing compliance burden. At the same time, you maintain flexibility in how you build, run, and scale your application across environments. We take on the regulatory complexity so you can focus on delivering capability—not chasing paperwork.

Driving mission success with 2F Game Warden

Customers across the defense ecosystem are using 2F Game Warden to shorten accreditation timelines, reduce risk, and scale secure software into production environments. By removing friction in the ATO process, we help mission-ready capabilities get into the hands of warfighters faster.

How OpsLab deployed to DoD IL5 in just 90 days – and scaled to 45+ bases

When OpsLab set out to deploy its pilot scheduling software to the Department of Defense, it faced a major hurdle: meeting the stringent security requirements to operate at Impact Level 5 (IL5).

Working with Second Front and AWS, OpsLab accelerated accreditation from an estimated 12–24 months down to just 90 days—cutting costs, reducing risk, and getting its solution into the hands of mission users faster.

Today, OpsLab is in use at 44 U.S. Air Force bases and 2 U.S. Navy bases (and counting!), helping improve flight scheduling, reduce pilot attrition, and boost mission readiness.

Read the full case study

What’s next?

Getting a DoD ATO is hard and that’s by design. It’s how the government protects its most critical systems from cyber threats.

2F built Game Warden to help mission-ready software overcome the ATO wall, without rebuilding infrastructure, burning engineering time, or waiting years for deployment.

Bottom line: Game Warden accelerates authorization, simplifies deployment, and frees you to scale your public sector business without compromise.

If your product is ready for the mission, we’ll help you get it there. Let’s talk.