US Military Collaborates with Private Sector for Blockchain Technology Advancement

The United States Navy is teaming up with private sector partners to explore a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) aimed at propelling its exclusive "PARANOID" blockchain technology forward.

The blockchain-based PARANOID (Powerful Authentication Regime Applicable to Naval Operational Flight Program Integrated Development) system is designed to fortify software against cyber threats during the developmental and deployment stages.

The Naval Air Warfare Center’s Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Lakehurst, New Jersey, conceived and evolved PARANOID to bolster avionics software security within the U.S. Navy. Recognizing its broader applicability in software development projects where security is paramount, the Center devised PARANOID.

PARANOID ensures software security throughout its lifecycle by validating files at each milestone through blockchain technology. All developer actions are meticulously recorded on the PARANOID blockchain, creating a transparent activity log.

In the event of nefarious attempts to compromise software integrity during development by tampering with code or files, the immutable blockchain database of the PARANOID system would detect and thwart such modifications.

The U.S. Navy, as indicated in a blog post by TechLink, the U.S. Department of Defense’s technology transfer partner, is extending the PARANOID system for further research and development to interested private sector entities.

Nida Shaikh, Senior Technology Manager at TechLink, outlined the ideal characteristics of a CRADA partner, envisioning a company committed to enhancing software supply chain security. Such collaborators, often from the software development sector, would pilot and assess the efficacy and scalability of PARANOID.

Although marking a significant milestone as the first proprietary blockchain innovation commercialized by the U.S. Navy, PARANOID is not the military’s inaugural exploration into blockchain technology.

Notably, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy have previously engaged with SIMBA Chain, a blockchain-powered data exchange originating from Notre-Dame, focusing on securing supply chains.