Merlin Names Torq a Key Partner for Federal AI SOC Modernization

Partnership brings agentic AI-powered security operations to federal agencies while accelerating Torq's path to FedRAMP authorization

TYSONS CORNER, VA, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Merlin, a trusted technology partner known for deep government expertise and mission-ready solutions, today announced that Torq, the established agentic security operations leader, will serve as a key technology partner in Merlin's SOC Modernization architecture for federal agencies. The partnership combines Torq's AI SOC Platform capabilities with Merlin's validated architecture, federal market expertise, and compliance infrastructure to help agencies accelerate detection, investigation, and response. Merlin is also supporting Torq's path to FedRAMP authorization through Constellation GovCloud (CGC).

Bringing the Agentic SOC to Federal Agencies

SOC Modernization is part of Merlin Validated Solutions (MVS), a portfolio of pre-tested, mission-ready architectures. MVS integrates existing independent security technologies into a unified, end-to-end detection-to-response workflow that is automated but governed: actions are validated through a human-in-the-loop authorization model rather than left to run unchecked. Rather than replacing agencies' current investments, MVS unifies disconnected tools into a single coordinated workflow that can identify threats, analyze security data, validate automated actions, and respond at machine speed and scale to give federal agencies and critical infrastructure sectors pre-tested, compliant, mission-ready architectures.

The Torq AI SOC Platform will give federal agencies a fundamentally different way to defend mission-critical environments — using agentic AI to continuously ingest and contextualize alerts across the existing security stack, automatically triage threats, investigate the highest-risk incidents, and execute response and remediation within agency-defined guardrails. Rather than adding another point tool, Torq connects the full incident lifecycle so agencies can expand SOC capacity without proportionally expanding headcount, respond at machine speed to increasingly sophisticated threats, and keep human analysts focused on the incidents that require judgment. Every agentic action can remain transparent, governed, and auditable, providing the oversight and accountability federal environments require while each confirmation or correction improves the systems' accuracy over time, enabling agencies to progressively move from human-in-the-loop to human-on-the-loop operations as confidence grows.

"Federal agencies don't need another promise of what AI could do for security — they need proven technology that can operate at mission scale, with the governance and controls government demands," said Ofer Smadari, CEO of Torq. "The Torq AI SOC Platform was built for this moment. It brings agentic AI to the full security operations lifecycle, enabling teams to investigate and respond at machine speed while keeping humans in control. With an enterprise-proven platform and a clear path to FedRAMP authorization, Torq is ready to bring the power of the AI SOC to the federal market. Merlin knows how to turn breakthrough technology into mission-ready capability, and we're excited to work together to make agentic security operations a reality across government."

The Emerging Government Imperative for the SOC

The partnership addresses a growing gap federal agencies are being pushed to close. In March 2026, the White House released President Trump's Cyber Strategy for America, directing federal agencies to adopt AI-powered cybersecurity solutions to defend federal networks and deter intrusions at scale. In June 2026, CISA's Binding Operational Directive 26-04 compressed remediation windows for the highest-risk vulnerabilities to as little as three days, a response to how far AI has narrowed the gap between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation. Legacy SIEM and SOAR tools, and the shrinking pool of analysts who operate them, were not built for that pace. Agentic AI has already moved past pilot stage in the commercial sector; the federal government now needs the same capability delivered through a compliant path.

"AI is accelerating vulnerability discovery and rapidly compressing the time from discovery to exploitation. Federal security teams need to operate at the same speed," said Robert Costello, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Merlin. "Torq significantly closes that gap by automating triage, investigation, and response action, helping defenders act faster across increasingly complex environments. Merlin is supporting Torq through its FedRAMP journey, and I'm equally excited to bring the platform into our own SOC and experience it firsthand."

The partnership builds on Merlin Ventures' investment in Torq, announced as part of the company's $140 million Series D round earlier this year, and will help Torq rapidly scale the Torq AI SOC Platform to protect the nation's most critical infrastructure.

Merlin and Torq will both be exhibiting at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, D.C., September 8–10, 2026. Visit Merlin at Booth #308 and Torq at Booth #317 to learn more about their partnership and see a demo in-person.

Want to see Torq in action? Contact the Merlin Labs team here to learn more: https://www.merlincyber.com/soc-modernization. 

About Merlin

For nearly 30 years, Merlin has accelerated pathways for leading technology providers into mission-critical public sector markets. Combining deep government expertise with technical validation, compliance acceleration, and market access, Merlin transforms promising technologies into mission-ready solutions that help government agencies identify and address their most critical security challenges. Learn more at www.merlincyber.com. 

About Torq

Torq is transforming cybersecurity with the Torq AI SOC Platform. Torq empowers enterprises to instantly and precisely triage, investigate, and respond to security events at scale. Torq's customer base includes major multinational enterprises such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Lego, Lowe's, Macy's, Marriott, Procter & Gamble, Prudential, Siemens, Telefónica, Uber, Valvoline, Virgin Atlantic, and Wiz.

Media Contact:
Katherine Benfield
ICR for Merlin
[email protected] 

SOURCE Merlin Group