Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rune Technologies, a US company that builds frontline military logistics software capable of running with limited or no connectivity. The company announced the deal on October 29 and calls it its most significant acquisition in the national security space. The price wasn’t disclosed. The deal will expand Missionforce, Salesforce’s government and defense division, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2027, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Rune Technologies deal in 20 seconds
- What: Salesforce is buying Rune Technologies, military logistics software that works offline.
- Why: to extend Missionforce, its defense division, down to frontline units.
- Context: Salesforce says its defense business is growing 80% year over year.
- What’s missing: the price hasn’t been made public.
It’s an unusual move for a company best known for its CRM, but it fits the shift Salesforce has made over the past year toward the public sector and defense. The company has made a string of acquisitions in 2026, most focused on enterprise AI, such as its $5.66 billion purchase of Braze for Marketing Cloud. Rune is a different kind of deal: software for military operations.
Logistics that works without a network
Rune Technologies was founded in 2024 by David Tuttle and Peter Goldsborough, who previously held leadership roles at Anduril, the defense technology company. Its platform helps military logistics teams forecast supply needs, allocate resources and plan transport routes, cross-referencing data from corporate systems (personnel, equipment, inventory) with real-time operational data. According to Salesforce, it’s already deployed with the US Army and the US Marine Corps.
Its defining feature is that it’s built for DDIL environments — denied, degraded, intermittent or limited connectivity — the usual condition for a deployed unit. The system keeps running without a network connection and syncs once connectivity returns. Salesforce describes its capabilities as situational awareness, simulation and optimization models that forecast demand, recommend how to allocate resources and evaluate logistics plans before and during an operation. Its announcement groups this under the label “SI,” which elsewhere in the text it spells out as “superintelligence” — marketing language that shouldn’t be taken too literally.
From headquarters to the front line
Salesforce frames defense in three layers: the corporate systems at headquarters, the strategic planning layer, and the “operational edge,” where units make decisions under time pressure and without good connectivity. According to the company, Missionforce already serves as the system of record for the first two layers for the US military and its allies, and Rune would complete the third. The idea is that personnel status, maintenance and supply plans share the same record whether at a base or with a deployed unit, reconciling automatically once the network comes back.
“Salesforce is doubling down on national security with our largest acquisition in this space,” said Kendall Collins, President and CEO of Missionforce and Government Cloud at Salesforce. David Tuttle, CEO and co-founder of Rune, said they built the company to give frontline supply officers the tools to make decisions “even without reliable connectivity.”
A fast-growing defense business
According to Salesforce, its defense business is growing 80% year over year, a year after Missionforce launched, with customers across all six branches of the US Armed Forces. Among its milestones, it cites a ten-year contract with the US Army worth up to $5.6 billion to modernize its operations. Worth noting: that figure is the contract’s maximum potential value, not committed revenue, and the company hasn’t disclosed the absolute figure behind that 80% growth rate.
The acquisition puts Salesforce on ground where specialized firms like Palantir and Anduril itself compete, and where conventional enterprise software rarely reaches. For the rest of its customers, the interesting part is the architecture: a system that works offline and syncs later is also useful in civilian logistics, emergency response or field maintenance, though Salesforce hasn’t announced any plans in that direction.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rune Technologies?
A US company founded in 2024 by former Anduril executives that builds military logistics software able to run with limited or no connectivity. It’s already used by the US Army and the Marine Corps.
How much is Salesforce paying for Rune?
It hasn’t been disclosed. Salesforce has only said it’s its biggest acquisition in national security.
When will the deal close?
Salesforce expects to close it in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2027, pending customary conditions.
What is Missionforce?
Salesforce’s division for government and defense, launched a year ago, with customers across all six branches of the US Armed Forces.
Source: Salesforce
This article is also available in Spanish: «Salesforce compra Rune Technologies y lleva su IA a la logística militar», on revistacloud.com.
