2024-0336 Consultancy for Specialized Transmission Security (NS) - FRI 17 Jan

Deadline Date: Friday 17 January 2025

Requirement: Consultancy for Specialized Transmission Security (TRANSEC)

Location: Off-Site

Note: Please refer to your Subcontract Agreement, article 6.4.1.a, which states “Off-Site Discount: 5% (this discount is applicable to all requirements, and applies when the assigned personnel are permitted to work Off-Site, such as at- home)". Please be sure to price this discount in your overall price proposal when submitting bids against off-site RFQs

Period of Performance: BASE 2025: (starting not later than 17 February 2025 to 31st March 2025)

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

1. INTRODUCTION

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is providing technical support to the Digital Standardization and Interoperability (DSI) Branch of the NATO Digital Staff (NDS) to develop and maintain data & information exchange solutions underpinning the consultation, command & control functions of the Alliance.

This Statement of Work (SoW) describes the work to be contracted to an individual subject matter expert (SME) to work as directed by the DSI Branch in support of the NDS/DSI Programme of Work (POW). The specific expertise of the SME is to be in the area of the generic AES-256 solution that was originally designed for STANAG 4372 (SATURN).

2. BACKGROUND

Recent conflicts, firstly in Crimea in 2014 and now more broadly across Ukraine, have highlighted the advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) capability now being deployed by peer or near peer adversaries. Against this back drop, the Line of Sight (LoS) Capability Team (CaT) made the realization that their current Transmission Security (TRANSEC) inherent within STANAG 4372 (SATURN) is unlikely to be fit for purpose (Existing TRANSEC algorithm for SATURN is a US proprietary non-standardized algorithm derived from HAVEQUICK and is now over 30 years old).

STANAG 5630 Edition 1 (Narrowband Waveform) was originally designed by the LoS CaT as a non-Electro-Magnetic Protective Measures (EPM) waveform. However, the requirement for EPM has since been established. This serves as an example which suggests that any TRANSEC solution definition should be capable to be split into generic and waveform-specific elements leading to a common standardization approach. In turn, this will avoid unnecessary repetition in the STANAGs and could yield implementation benefits across multiple waveforms.

This work is focused on providing contributions to completing the generic TRANSEC element to support waveforms requiring EPM.

3. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

Activities

Under the direction of the NCIA, the contractor is required to conduct the following activities:

• Contribute and provide deliverables to support development of the AES-256 based generic TRANSEC solution for NATO V/UHF EPM waveform standardization, including maturing the generic AES-256 TRANSEC definition document and TRANSEC IV definitions.
• Contribute and provide deliverables to support development of the AES-256 based modernized TRANSEC solution for AcomP 4372 (SATURN);
• Defining and maturing the modernized AES-256 TRANSEC definitions for AComP 4372 Edition B including deriving, testing and documenting TRANSEC test vectors;
• Identifying and defining a viable and releasable key management solution for AES-256 SATURN TRANSEC including key tagging;
• Explore feasibility of modernized SATURN TRANSEC derived COMSEC synchronization solution based upon AES-256 TRANSEC and COMSEC, and produce definitions for any viable solution identified;
• Technical collaboration with other SATURN stakeholders within the CaP1 LOS CaT (e.g. USAF SATURN Program Office and MITRE) and wider Crypto Technical Authorities (including the CaP4 Crypto CaT, US NSA TRANSEC team and UK NCSC);
• Generate and present briefings on technical proposals and status of the AES-256 TRANSEC work to LOS CaT / TRANSEC Tiger Team.

Generalities

All of the defined deliverables are based on the requirement for the generic TRANSEC solution and as listed above under Activities.

These deliverables should be delivered to the NDS in accordance with the accepted format detailing AES-256.

All deliverables are to be peer reviewed by the NDS within the deliverable cycle within the context of the TRANSEC Tiger Team. Input and guidance will be provided by NDS in written form or/and during the targeted review meetings.

Deliverables

The following specific deliverables are expected from this statement of work:

D001: Updated version of generic AES-256 TRANSEC definition document;

D002: Change proposals for AES-256 TRANSEC updates to AcomP 4372 Edition B including