Implementing Zero Trust Architecture in Tactical Networks

The article advocates for a Zero Trust Architecture as the only secure approach for modern tactical networks, asserting that traditional network perimeters are obsolete and that all access requests must be authenticated and authorized, a challenge ROE Defense is addressing for disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth environments.

The concept of a network perimeter is a fossil. It's a relic of a time when we could draw a neat line around our network and say, 'Everything inside this line is trusted, and everything outside is not.' In the tactical environment, where the 'perimeter' is a constantly shifting, amorphous blob, this model is not just obsolete; it's dangerously naive. We must assume that the network is already compromised. We must assume that the enemy is already inside the wire. This is the foundational principle of a Zero Trust Architecture, and it is the only way to build a truly secure tactical network.

In a Zero Trust network, there is no such thing as a trusted user or a trusted device. Every single request for access must be authenticated and authorized, every single time. It doesn't matter if you are sitting in the TOC or on a hilltop in Afghanistan. It doesn't matter if you are using a government-issued laptop or a personal cell phone. Every connection is treated as hostile until it is proven otherwise.

This is a radical departure from the traditional model of network security, and it comes with its own set of unique challenges, especially in a tactical environment. How do you manage identity and access for a device that is frequently disconnected from the network? How do you enforce security policies in a low-bandwidth environment? How do you do all of this without creating a massive burden for the end-user?

These are the hard problems that we are solving at ROE Defense. We are developing a new generation of Zero Trust solutions that are specifically designed for the disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DIL) environments that our soldiers operate in. We are using lightweight, resilient protocols that can operate over a tactical radio. We are using advanced caching and synchronization techniques to ensure that a device can still be authenticated even when it is disconnected from the network. And we are using a risk-based approach to access control, so we can apply the most stringent security measures to our most sensitive data.

Zero Trust is not a product; it's a philosophy. It's a new way of thinking about network security. And it's a philosophy that we have embraced wholeheartedly at ROE Defense. Because in the contested cyber domain of the 21st century, the only way to be secure is to trust nothing.