Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) developed by software vendors and validated by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) are critical for securing Department of War (DOW) information systems against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. STIGs provide standardized, configurable security guidance to ensure IT assets are hardened and consistent with federal cybersecurity standards including NIST 800-53.

Picture syncing the full RKE2 manifest into a Hauler store: five files and seventy hardened images, close to ten gigabytes of content, over a link that tops out around 500 Mbps because that's what the environment gives you.

In Hauler 2.0, that sync pulled one image at a time. Image one finishes, image two starts, and the network sits idle between every handoff. On a large manifest over a slow uplink, that idle time is most of the wall-clock time.

For most of the history of Kubernetes in government, agencies had options. They could build their environment piece by piece, download free open-source tools, make tradeoffs, and figure out the security and compliance layer as they went. That flexibility made sense when deployments were more protracted, missions were contained, and the consequences of a security breach were easier to absorb.

Picture utilizing v1 of Rancher Government Hauler to copy 500 artifacts from a Hauler store to a remote registry over a connection that isn’t reliable. Item 100 hits a hiccup.

Before its newest release, Hauler 2.0, that could mean starting the whole process over. A dropped connection halfway through a large transfer could cost hours.

Problems like that shaped much of the work behind Hauler v2.0.0. The team spent as much time rethinking the architecture to better handle austere environments as adding new features. The result is a release that makes large transfers more resilient, simplifies common tasks, and creates a cleaner foundation for future work.

Modern military operations are no longer confined to well-connected, centralized environments. Today’s missions increasingly operate at the tactical edge in contested, disconnected, and resource-constrained settings where command and control (C2) systems must function without constant reach-back, specialized personnel, or fragile sustainment models.

In these environments, mission success depends on edge platforms that are secure by design, rapidly deployable, and sustainable under real-world conditions. Anything less introduces risk to timelines, to operators, and ultimately to mission outcomes.

At Rancher Government Solutions (RGS), we believe mission-ready C2 at the edge requires a fundamentally different approach, one built for operational reality, not ideal conditions.

We are pumped to share some huge news: we successfully passed our Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 assessment! This is a big deal and really shows how committed Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) is to keeping our partners and the whole Defense Industrial Base safe from cyber threats. By earning this Level 2 certification, we've put all 110 security rules in place. This means the Department of War (DOW) can be super confident that we're ready to protect all that important Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Getting 110 out of 110 controls right really proves we're at the top of our game!

Twelve to sixteen hours per month. That’s how long it used to take operators to manually validate DISA STIG compliance across Kubernetes clusters.

Now, it takes seconds. 

Compliance Operator, part of Rancher Government Carbide, automates DISA STIG validation for RKE2 clusters using a lightweight, integrated compliance operator. It fundamentally changes how federal teams validate cluster hardening against DISA-published STIGs. No third-party tools or extra configurations. Just faster, continuous compliance built directly into the platform. 

Greetings! Let's dive into Rancher's Harvester product and explore some of the synergies that emerge when we combine the infrastructure and orchestration layers using a unified API. That unified API is the Kubernetes API. So, instead of using the usual cloud-agnostic tools in our toolbox (Terraform, Ansible, etc), we are going to try to use ONLY Kubernetes to deploy a guest RKE2 cluster onto Harvester and then install Rancher Multi-cluster Manager on that cluster. Ideally we do this with minimal steps and avoid usage of complex bash scripts.

The United States Army’s outdated command and control (C2) infrastructure limits its operational efficiency, particularly in critical combat scenarios. The agency’s “C2 Fix” initiative aims to address these issues by simplifying network infrastructure across Army formations. With over 85% of the Army’s units still relying on less agile legacy systems, the current C2 framework lacks the flexibility to support rapid, secure, and scalable communications between intelligence, sustainment, and tactical operations.      

Open-source software (OSS) offers flexibility and innovation, but federal agencies face challenges when integrating these tools into mission-critical operations. Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) understands these challenges and an RGS Subscription ensures that agencies using OSS like Kubernetes receive the stability, security, and support required to meet and exceed government standards.