Army Collaboration With National Security Agency Increases Cryptographic Modernization

US Army’s collaboration with National Security Agency has led to advancement in cryptographic modernization, information security and tactical network protection.

The US Army Materiel Command’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) and NSA are together defining a cooperative approach to expediting cryptographic product fielding, in which the Cyber Security and Information Assurance (CSIA) division will support many of the certification functions normally performed by NSA to ensure products like software-defined tactical radios meet strict NSA security requirements and quality standards, the service announced in a statement last week.

Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD) signed a memorandum of agreement in August 2016 to become an NSA Evaluation Service Laboratory supporting the evaluation of government off-the-shelf systems seeking NSA certification. S&TCD will act as a supplement to Type 1 certification, a process that includes testing and formal analysis of the security of a product, which will vastly accelerate the time required to attain a certification decision.

Under the agreement, CERDEC will work directly with the original equipment manufacturer to provide security guidance and assessment of the OEM’s GOTS deliverables prior to NSA technical approval and certification.

In June 2016, the Unified Cross Domain Services Management Office signed a memorandum concurring with NSA’s recommendation that CSIA met all requirements to perform Cross Domain Solutions, Lab Based Security Assessments. The LBSA focuses on assuring the robustness of designed, architected, and configured CDS security capabilities.