Secure Enclave Environment for Fostering Collaboration and Increasing Readiness (SEE)

The Air Force oversees a complex and critical supply chain vital to our national defense and in our existing Earth 616 program we are collecting data from Tier1 and Tier 2 suppliers surrounding the mission critical KC-46 aircraft.  We created a decentralized permissioning layer called SIMBA's Secure Asset Platform that uses Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) to securely share such data.  However, the permissioning layer is not enough - what is needed is the capability to host sensitive data e.g. CUI, in a secure IL5 environment so that data can only be viewed in that environment, and not downloaded.   This project by SIMBA Chain (SIMBA) addresses this issue by developing a Secure Enclave Environment (SEE) to foster collaboration, surrounding manufacturing data, with the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), and other stakeholders. Small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) face significant challenges to meet stringent data governance and security standards and lack the infrastructure or expertise to host sensitive data themselves.  The SEE will provide SMMs with a secure remote desktop environment that does not involve any SMM infrastructure but provides a secure way of viewing and collaborating on USAF manufacturing data. For example, bidding on technical data packages (TDP) or viewing data from other sensitive data assets, including enabling lower tiers to effectively exchange data with higher tiers.  The SEE can dramatically increase mission readiness by fostering collaboration between internal and external USAF partners. Examples include collaboration between the KC-46 SPOs and the DIB, interactions with international allies, such as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or to enable USAF to communicate the tracking of critical, high value assets to the deployed warfighter. To this end, we will demonstrate this concept using an In-Transit Visibility (ITV) use case, in collaboration with DLA, to track mission critical assets across multiple continents. This will provide the capability for tracking assets in KC46 cargo missions. Currently 5 containers are tracked across the world but this will be expanded to track hundreds of assets.  This SBIR Phase II SEE aims to provide a secure platform leveraging blockchain technology for data integrity and immutability, ensuring that only authorized parties can access the data. It includes features such as end-to-end encryption, detailed logging of data interactions, and a secure, view-only environment to protect data from unauthorized access or download. A single query on a graph database within the SEE will show the entire location ITV history of an asset enabling advanced anticipatory analytics.  Tasks involve SEE validation, security enhancements, integration of additional features, extensive testing, and preparation for production-ready deployment within the Air Force's secure infrastructure, addressing both technical and operational challenges to meet the Air Force's needs.