USSF's SpaceWERX eyes space-based cyberwarfare

Airmen of the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) monitor computer systems designed to detect, track, and identify all artificial objects in Earth's orbit at Vandenberg AFB, Calif, Sept. 27, 2014. (US Air Force)

US Space Force's (USSF) advanced innovation directorate is launching a new initiative to accelerate development of space-based defensive cyberwarfare capabilities to meet rapidly emerging requirements.

The effort will focus on transforming USSF's current arsenal of defensive cyberwarfare (DCW) capabilities “from [a] fragmented, reactive security to a cohesive, intelligence-driven posture that spans from the commercial supply chain to the orbital edge”, programme officials said in a September draft industry notice by the Pentagon's Office for Small Business Innovation.

Specifically, the DCW modernisation initiative is looking to develop and mature a “a unified defense ecosystem” that heavily leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to ensure “the integrity of hardware and software long before deployment” according to a pre-release draft of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) notice. The programme is slated to officially be opened to industry participants on 23 September, according to the draft. USSF's SpaceWERX is the primary contracting authority for the effort.

Comprised of eight distinct focus areas, the DCW initiative will result in the development and fielding of “agile data architectures will seamlessly normalize complex telemetry across hybrid networks, fueling advanced machine learning engines to autonomously detect and intercept threats in real time”, the September notice stated. Each focus area will be geared toward optimising current information technology [IT] capabilities, which is designed “to minimize cost and maximize efficiency”, it added.