It seems that Microsoft merely provided the Air Force with standard Windows, pre-configured with a template according to their specifications. If somebody has a pointer to some reference that indicates that Microsoft provided them with a tweaked version of Windows (not just tweaked configuration templates), please give us a pointer to it.
Microsoft already provides similar pre-built configuration templates on its website for everybody to download. For example, when it gets security certifications, it distributes the templates it used for the certifications. Other security-related organizations also provide their own recommended templates along with documents explaining them setting-by-setting. Using (tweaked) versions of those templates has been standard practice for any professional Windows network administrator since at least Windows 2000.
[edit: I am pretty sure that we can get the government's standard templates available too. I know the NSA has made some available for a long time now, for example.]
Microsoft already provides similar pre-built configuration templates on its website for everybody to download. For example, when it gets security certifications, it distributes the templates it used for the certifications. Other security-related organizations also provide their own recommended templates along with documents explaining them setting-by-setting. Using (tweaked) versions of those templates has been standard practice for any professional Windows network administrator since at least Windows 2000.
[edit: I am pretty sure that we can get the government's standard templates available too. I know the NSA has made some available for a long time now, for example.]