SECURING COMMUNICATIONS
COMSEC HAS BECOME SO UBIQUITOUS THAT IT MAY BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. WE AS AN ARMY HAVE COME TO EXPECT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TO BE PRIVATE, PROTECTED, AND SECURE, OFTEN WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT AS THE ARMY’S COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, SO, TOO, MUST THE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY DEVELOP AND MATURE.
To lessen the logistics burden on Soldiers, PD COMSEC is leading the Army effort, in conjunction with the NSA, to deploy Over The Network Keying (OTNK) capability to the Army. This will reduce the need to receive COMSEC keys from a physical workstation.
The goal is to leverage the Key Manage- ment Infrastructure-based solution in the next generation of Key Loader. Key Load- ers are used to load cryptographic keys to encryption devices that make data indis- cernible to the enemy.
With OTNK, a user will connect to the Secure Internet Protocol Router network from any location, register his or her bri- gade’s devices, and use the Key Loader to download keys for each of the brigade’s systems. This will eliminate the burden of carrying transit cases that contain large key distribution systems, or searching for a COMSEC custodian.
With the increased insertion of commer- cial communication technologies into the Army network, PD COMSEC is also collaborating with NSA to resolve the
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challenge of distributing commercial keys through military standard key distribution chains. We are advocating for Soldiers by engaging with NSA to synchronize how keys used with commercial solutions will be distributed. We are working to make sure there is a single key distribution sys- tem that meets all the needs of the Army, from Type 1/Suite A encryption to com- mercial solutions.
To further standardize the COMSEC process, we are working to design the Common Load Device (CLD), which will augment and may eventually replace legacy devices, such as the Simple Key Loader, in the future key management infrastructure. The CLD will support network modern- ization by configuring multiple types of tactical radios, such as the Joint Tactical Radio System family, as well as configur- ing various network nodes within the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical.
Testing of the CLD will be aligned with the Army’s semiannual Network Integra- tion Evaluation (NIE) events at White Sands Missile Range, NM, and Fort Bliss, TX, which are designed to rapidly
integrate and advance the tactical net- work. This is another improvement over past practices, in which COMSEC devices and key distribution capabilities were often an afterthought, added after a device or system was proven. The NIEs will include COMSEC as a priority in an integrated network environment.
As the Army network continues to grow, it is clear that with each capability enhancement will come the need for bet- ter COMSEC. The centralized approach taken by PD COMSEC is uncovering efficiencies and allowing the Army to bet- ter invest its resources in future COMSEC capability enhancements, which will help maintain our decisive advantage.
CHRIS P. MANNING is the Army’s Proj- ect Director Communications Security. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan State University and an M.S. in the management of technology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is Level III certified in program management and in systems planning, research, development, and engineering – systems engineering.
Army AL&T Magazine
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