Army surveys industry for companies able to provide zero trust cyber security to protect tactical networks
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army cyber security experts are surveying industry to find companies able to incorporate data protection into Army tactical networks.
Officials of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a request for information (W56KGU25DUSESTDUS) last week for the Tactical Data In Use Security program.
Securing existing networks
Solutions should integrate into existing Army tactical networking while providing enhanced security for data-in-use protections against potential cyber security threats.
Solutions should implement zero-trust features, and be able to operate amid denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited contested communications, logistics, and information. This request for information is on behalf of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Related: Applying zero trust principles to embedded systems
This RFI is for informational and planning purposes. The Army may use gathered information for statements of work and specifications in future solicitations.
Traditional network security models, which provide trusted computing, increasingly are inadequate given the sophisticated nature of modern cyber security threats, Army experts say.
Zero trust
Zero trust means that no user, device, or application is inherently trusted within a network; users and devices must verify their identities continuously before accessing any system or data. It requires strict authentication to help keep cyber-attack damage to a minimum.
The Army wants to identify cutting-edge technologies that can offer robust security measures for data-in-use protections, which involve encryption, anomaly detection, and secure communications protocols to protect against current and emerging threats.
Army cyber security experts want unclassified responses from companies able to integrate zero-trust into tactical network architectures; privacy-enhancing technologies; and an expected technology readiness level of proposed solutions.
Companies interested should submit 15-page responses no later than 19 March 2025 to DoD SAFE online at https://safe.apps.mil. Email the Army's Wendy Choi at [email protected] to request the DoD Drop off Link when ready to submit responses. More information is online at https://sam.gov/opp/11fb3182dd37437ea26e8768f5926d34/view.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
