"FAU Receives NSF Grant for Secure Communications Over 5G Networks"

To deter and defeat agile adversaries, people and assets deployed by the US Department of Defense (DOD) in ground, sea, air, and space must maintain operational wireless network connectivity. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's (FAU) College of Engineering and Computer Science, Florida International University (FIU), Virginia Tech (VT), and PQSecure Technologies have collaborated to develop a universal radio adapter that will enable seamless and secure operations for US military, government, and critical infrastructure systems via non-cooperative indigenous 5G networks. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the research team a one-year, $750,000 grant for the project titled "Autonomously Tunable Waveform-Agnostic Radio Adapter for Seamless and Secure Operation of DOD Devices Through Non-Cooperative 5G Networks." The project's goal is to reduce the likelihood of communications being intercepted, disrupted, or jammed over 5G networks. The project is part of the NSF's acceleration of 5G solutions to provide secure communications to the US government and critical infrastructure operators anywhere and at any time. The FAU, FIU, VT, and PQSecure Technologies collaboration is one of 16 multidisciplinary teams chosen nationally by the NSF for the 2022 Convergence Accelerator program. Researchers will develop a waveform-agnostic adapter compatible with US DOD communication protocols that operate from HF up to the Ka-band. The research effort includes post-quantum-computing secure cryptography, physical layer security, interference avoidance, policy and governance for secure communications, and more. The universal radio adapter's goal is to accelerate transformative outcomes in how the US DOD personnel, aircrafts, satellites, mobile phones, vehicles, sensors, drones, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices operate through either friendly or adversary untrusted 5G network infrastructure, seamlessly connecting with devices on trusted US military networks. The goal is also to provide end-to-end data integrity, confidentiality, and resiliency by data hiding and autonomously switching between communications pathways. This article continues to discuss the goals of the "Autonomously Tunable Waveform-Agnostic Radio Adapter for Seamless and Secure Operation of DOD Devices Through Non-Cooperative 5G Networks" project. 

FAU reports "FAU Receives NSF Grant for Secure Communications Over 5G Networks"