Direct to Phase II Open Topic: Open Call for Innovative Defense-Related Dual-Purpose Technologies/Solutions with a Clear Air Force Stakeholder Need

Build prototypes and new features exploiting link diversity for improved resiliency, availability, security, and flexibility of communications from enterprise and tactical platforms for highly assured communications in limited/denied environments. Proposed techniques use as their basis multiple algorithms previously developed for the non-defense sector for secure storage/sharing of data leveraging a heterogeneous multi-cloud architecture. Those algorithms are enhanced/adapted for the purpose of improved resiliency and flexibility of data networks by leveraging multiple, potentially heterogeneous, links. Key advantages include a) an all-software implementation targeted for low-cost general-purpose COTS platforms; b) Reuse of legacy modems, radios, and other layer 2 equipment, and no requirement for any new/custom hardware; c) interfaces that are standards-based; d) support for heterogeneous link types; f) multiple resiliency options such as self-healing, automatic failover, and hitless packet delivery supporting a wide range of missions; and g) Flow-agnostic aggregation and automatic compensation of large differential delays between link types (e.g., SATCOM + Fiber). Proposed techniques are already robustly demonstrable in lab testbeds and will be incorporated on tactical platforms and enterprise data centers in support of AFRL and AF PM objectives and Joint initiatives with the Army.