Quantum Agile and Resilient Military Communications

ongoing

Q-ARM (Quantum Agile and Resilient Military Communications) aims to develop a crypto-agile, quantum-secure communication and decentralized identity management system, leveraging a hybrid combination of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). This system aims to provide secure, future-proof protection for authentication mechanisms, targeting defense and critical infrastructure environments. The communication framework integrates multiple actors: a satellite, a backend server, and user devices, enabling secure exchanges at the message level. PQC algorithms will be used to encrypt and sign messages, for protection against both classical and quantum attacks. The project also leverages QKD to securely generate and distribute encryption keys, which will be combined through an XOR function with PQC signatures, adding another layer of security. The system will incorporate blockchain technology to manage Decentralized Identities (DIDs). These DIDs will be verified using PQC signatures and QKD-enhanced authentication, ensuring secure access control and identity management. Blockchain will provide transparency and immutability for decentralized identity verification and secure transactions. A key management system (KMS) will securely handle the QKD-generated keys required for signature encryption. Key synchronization between the server, satellite, and user devices ensures that the system operates efficiently and remains secure, even in dynamic environments. The system offers a novel approach by combining PQC signatures with QKD-based keys, protecting authentication data throughout its transmission, from the user device to the backend server. The integration of blockchain-based decentralized identities, ensures an immutable, decentralized, no single point of failure identity management.