Theme 3: KMI-aware 100GbE MLS Encryptor and RTB CDS

The DoD is also pushing toward Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) requiring information sharing across space, air, land, sea, and cyber domains to warfighters with a wide range of security level needs-to-know. For example, the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) needs to ingest commercial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) data. Simultaneously, ISR data from highly classified satellite payloads must quickly get to heterogeneous Army, Navy, or Air Force platforms at different security levels to track, target, and intercept incoming hypersonic and ballistic threats. Complicating matters, Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellites inherently face limitations in Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C). Modern high-throughput microelectronics are extremely capable, but at a tradeoff of SWaP-C. Traditionally, there would be separate space modules for high-assurance (i.e., “Type-1”) encryption and seamless Multi-Level Security (MLS) routing, each using at least one of these SWaP-C hungry chips. Instead of a solution with separate Aerospace Vehicular Equipment (AVE) End Cryptographic Unit (ECU) and Cross Domain Solution (CDS) packet router devices, we can reduce SWaP-C by over 50% by combining these capabilities into one module that employs the latest low-power silicon technology proven in production pLEO satellites. We have already developed a high-assurance encryptor which is Key Management Infrastructure (KMI) aware and Cryptographic Modernization 2.0 (CM2) compliant.  Therefore, we propose to develop a single device that includes both a Network Established Beyond the Upper Limits of the Atmosphere (NEBULA) compliant High-Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE) and an NSA RTBv4 compliant CDS router.  It has a SWaP-C constrained VITA 90.5 SpaceVNX+ standard form-factor for Modular Open-Standard Architecture (MOSA) plug-and-play compliance. Furthermore, our teammate, the University of New Mexico’s COSMIAC research center, has developed similar 100GbE routing for pLEO applications with AFRL/RV that can be reused in the CDS design. This solution then integrates with our cloud-based automated KMI-aware key, certificate, firmware update, and cybersecurity policy provisioning software.