24 Apr 25. US Army Selects Persistent Systems to Power CBRNE. Modernization Efforts With Wave Relay MANET. Contract supports Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits (DRSKO) program by networking sensors and operators for real-time threat detection. Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”), a leader in mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technology, announced today that the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) has selected its Wave Relay® MANET as the data link to connect U.S. Army CBRNE sensors to operators as part of the Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits and Outfits (DRSKO) program. The contract includes the delivery of MPU5 networking devices and associated equipment.
“Providing JPEO-CBRND with advanced networking capabilities ensures seamless integration between CBRNE sensors and command posts, and operators for the real-time transfer of critical data beyond just voice,” said Damien Mason, Director of Army Strategy at Persistent Systems. “This program represents a significant modernization effort for the Army’s CBRNE community, enabling faster and safer threat detection.”
This initiative aligns with the Army’s strategy to enhance real-time threat detection and data-sharing capabilities. By leveraging the Wave Relay MANET, warfighters receive instant notifications of CBRNE threats, with all critical information accessible on the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK). The MANET eliminates delays traditionally associated with situational reports (SITREPs), ensuring that teams can respond rapidly and decisively to hazardous conditions.
“Instead of waiting for a call or SITREP, our MANET delivers sensor data directly to decision-makers, enabling real-time responses and ensuring team safety even in extreme environments, such as tunnels and confined spaces,” Mason added.
The Wave Relay MANET, built into MPU5 networking devices, creates a highly scalable, self-forming, and self-healing network that places operators, sensors, and platforms on a common, peer-to-peer network for seamless sharing of voice, video, text, sensor, and GPS data. The Wave Relay MANET enables universal data sharing across Wi-Fi, Serial, and Ethernet-enabled sensors to detect and counter weapons of mass destruction.
“This selection underscores Persistent’s position as the network of choice for defense modernization, homeland security, and force protection initiatives,” Mason said.
Delivery is already underway. (Source: ASD Network)
24 Apr 25. Bringing Sailors Closer to Home: How the USS Abraham Lincoln is Revolutionizing Connectivity at Sea. Life aboard an aircraft carrier is demanding. Long deployments, intense missions, and the vast expanse of the open ocean can understandably leave Sailors and Marines feeling isolated. For the more than 5,000+ service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, staying connected with loved ones was once a luxury. With the support of innovative capabilities, such as Kymeta’s cutting-edge satellite communications, this isolation is becoming a thing of the past.
The Challenge: Staying Connected in a Disconnected World
For decades, one of the toughest parts of deployment wasn’t only the mission, it was the separation from family and friends. Warfighters had limited access to communication, often relying on slow, unreliable internet that made video calls and personal updates frustratingly difficult. The impact wasn’t just emotional; it affected focus, morale, and overall well-being. Beyond personal connections, limited bandwidth also meant operational inefficiencies. Sharing mission-critical data took longer, restricting the ship’s ability to stay agile in high-stakes situations. And with aircraft carriers often operating in some of the most remote regions of the world, ensuring reliable connectivity was an enormous challenge.
The Solution: Bringing the Digital World to the Open Ocean
In 2024, the USS Abraham Lincoln became the first naval aircraft carrier to deploy two of Kymeta’s state-of-the-art u8 LEO terminals. These terminals leverage the Eutelsat OneWeb satellite network to deliver high-bandwidth, low-latency internet at sea. This provides lightning-fast download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and uploads at 200 megabits per second, ensuring seamless communication across the ship. Sailors and Marines can now video chat with their families, take online courses, and even manage their finances, bringing a sense of normalcy to life on deployment. Just as important, these satellite terminals are engineered for resilience, providing connectivity even in the most challenging maritime conditions. Unlike traditional satellite systems, which require large, cumbersome dish antennas, Kymeta’s electronically steered flat-panel antennas provide seamless, always-on access to broadband, even in rough seas, or in extreme weather.
More Than Just Communication: A Social and Mental Health Game-Changer
Beyond just staying in touch with loved ones, the improved internet access has completely transformed life aboard the ship. Socializing while deployed became easier than ever, with crew members engaging in multiplayer gaming, scrolling through social media, and catching up with friends. This digital lifeline provided a crucial escape from the stresses of deployment and strengthened bonds among the crew.
Captain Kevin White, then the USS Abraham Lincoln’s Combat Systems Officer, described the impact firsthand:
“You lose all access to your personal life, and that affects people – they’re concerned about how the issues in their personal lives that they just kind of left behind will be handled. With Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore, we can maintain the continuity of our personal lives. What we’ve been able to do is transition Navy life to be more like home, and we can see onboard the ship that everybody is happier.”
The Results: A Game-Changer for Morale and Mission Readiness
The impact of enhanced connectivity was immediate and undeniable:
- A morale boost like never before, Sailors and Marines no longer felt cut off from the world. They could share in life’s big moments with their families, reducing stress and strengthening mental well-being.
- Stronger focus and resilience. With better connectivity, Sailors and Marines were more engaged, motivated, and better equipped to handle the demands of their roles.
- Unparalleled data capability. The ship could now transfer four to eight terabytes of data daily, a fiftyfold increase, making mission operations smoother and more efficient.
- A more social and connected crew. From online gaming tournaments to social media engagement, crew members could now bond over shared experiences, making downtime more enjoyable and strengthening camaraderie.
- Global, uninterrupted connectivity. With access to LEO satellite networks, warfighters remained connected even in the most remote locations, ensuring mission readiness without sacrificing personal connections.
The Future: A New Era of Connectivity at Sea The USS Abraham Lincoln’s success is just the beginning. This use case is setting a new standard for how warfighters remain connected, not just to their missions but to the people who matter most. By enabling reliable, high-speed connectivity in some of the most remote waters on the planet, the program ensures that Sailors and Marines stay informed, operationally prepared, and emotionally supported. As this technology expands across the fleet, thousands more service members will experience the life-changing benefits of staying connected, ensuring they remain mission-ready, resilient, and never truly out of reach. For the Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the ocean no longer feels quite so vast. Home is now just a click away.
24 Apr 25. Global: Expanding obfuscation techniques will sustain security risks from North Korean actors. On 23 April, the cyber security company Trend Micro reported that the North Korean state-sponsored group ‘Void Dokkaebi’ is using Russian infrastructure to conduct cyber operations. The group connects to an IP address range assigned to two unnamed companies located in Khasan and Khabarovsk (Russia). It then uses the connection to Russian internet infrastructure along with additional commercial services to obfuscate its activity, showcasing the group’s detection evasion capabilities. The group reportedly interacts with job recruitment websites and infiltrates cryptocurrency wallets in Germany, Ukraine and the US for financial profit. This report highlights the suspected increased co-operation between North Korean and Russian state-sponsored and cyber criminal groups (since at least June 2024) amid the countries’ geopolitical proximity. North Korea routinely conducts financially motivated and cryptocurrency-theft operations to support its strategic objectives. As such, we assess that this will heighten security and financial risks to global entities in the long term. (Source: Sibylline)
21 Apr 25. Collins Aerospace, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, successfully demonstrated new technology that helps the military gather and use information from a wider range of sources at Project Convergence Capstone 5, a large-scale military exercise. By integrating data from multiple sources into one place, Collins delivered real-time situational awareness to Marines during the exercise. Collins has been working with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) on a multi-year plan to develop and test these advanced capabilities in exercises with active military units. Collins combined data from a range of sources, including military and commercial sensors, to give Marines a clearer and more complete view of the battlefield. This information was sent to the Landing Force Operations Center —a command center used for coordinating amphibious landings.
“Battlefield operations can be extremely dynamic, requiring rapid adaptation and flexibility,” said Elaine Bitonti, vice president and general manager for the Connected Battlespace & Emerging Capabilities at Collins Aerospace. “At PCC5, Collins integrated ship and airborne platforms to provide Marine Corps commanders with the clear, secure data needed to make decisions quickly.”
By combining information from both government and commercial sensors, Collins Aerospace helps military leaders make faster decisions while making it harder for adversaries to track and target U.S. forces. This improves the safety and effectiveness of military operations.
Collins participates in technology demonstrations to advance readiness for fielding new solutions to collect, aggregate, process, and share data to help joint force commanders act quickly and decisively with weapons or force maneuvers. Developing secure and resilient communications across land, air, and sea domains ensures mission-critical information reaches those who need it most, when they need it. (Source: PR Newswire)
22 Apr 25. Global: North Korean state-sponsored cyber operation will sustain security risks to global CNI. On 21 April, international news outlets reported that a new North Korean state-sponsored sub-group (‘Larva-24005’) has been targeting critical national infrastructure (CNI) sectors in an information-theft campaign since at least October 2023. The group is reportedly affiliated with the North Korean state-sponsored group ‘Kimsuky’, showcasing the continuous expansion of North Korea’s cyber enterprise. Larva-24005 exploits a remote desktop protocol (RDP) vulnerability and/or sends phishing emails to infiltrate targeted systems. The group then installs two first-stage payloads (‘MySpy’ and ‘RDPWrap’) to collect system information and enable remote access. Subsequently, it deploys information-stealing malware to exfiltrate sensitive information, possibly to hijack user accounts for financial profit. Kimsuky and its sub-groups often conduct information-theft-oriented and financially motivated cyber operations to bolster Pyongyang’s weapons and missile programme amid long-term economic sanctions. As such, we assess that this sustains long-term financial, security and information-theft risks to global CNI sectors. (Source: Sibylline)