Adyta Participates in the Consortium for the European Defence Industrial Development Programme.
The project aims to provide state-of-the-art, high-security cryptographic services to be applied in defense scenarios for the first time.
Today, in Lisbon, the official kick-off meeting of the DISCRETION project took place, with the participation of the European Commission and representatives from the four supporting Member States (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Austria).
Quantum computers and the potential of these new machines to break most known ciphers increasingly threaten military communications and other sensitive data exchanges. DISCRETION is a pioneering project that addresses this threat using disruptive technologies such as Software-Defined Networks (SDN) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to create a secure and resilient communication network for European military forces. Leveraging legacy optical networks, DISCRETION will enable the construction of a highly secure, scalable, and resilient network for advanced tactical operational services.
Several initiatives across Europe exploit quantum properties of atoms or light particles for purposes such as computing, communication, and sensing, including the EuroQCI, whose main objective is to build a secure end-to-end network using quantum technologies. DISCRETION is fully aligned with this European strategy, providing a unique suite of end-to-end, high-security cryptographic services for defense applications for the first time. This project will contribute not only to strengthening European defense autonomy in secure communications but also enable armed forces to utilize the radio spectrum for military activities.
The DISCRETION proposal was ranked first in the topic “Cyber situational awareness and defence capabilities, defence networks and technologies for secure communication and information sharing” of the EDIDP 2020 call for proposals (EDIDP-CSAMN-2020).
The National Security Office, the Portuguese Ministry of Defence, and the Portuguese CHOD contributed to defining operational requirements during the preparation of the document submitted to the European Commission.
The project is led by Deimos Engenharia, supported by the Portuguese National Security Authority, the Portuguese Ministry of Defence, and the Chief of Defence of Portugal. Consortium members include Instituto de Telecomunicações, Instituto Superior Técnico, Altice Labs, and Adyta (Portugal), Telefonica Investigación y Desarrollo S.A.U. and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH (Austria), and Nextworks (Italy).
“This project allows Adyta to once again be at the forefront of innovation in secure communications, particularly as it involves a consortium whose participants bring extensive experience and knowledge. This is a project addressing quantum technologies, which are fundamental for the future of secure communications. We are proud and honored to be part of this consortium.”, stated Carlos Carvalho, CEO da Adyta.
“This activity is a springboard for Deimos.”, commented Nuno Ávila, Diretor of Deimos Engenharia. “Quantum technologies are the future for reliable communications, and we are excited to be pioneers in building this capability for European defense”.
Catarina Bastos, DISCRETION Project Manager of Deimos Engenharia, added: “We are very happy to have the opportunity to develop such a network from Portugal. Our consortium is unique in terms of experience and innovation. We will combine all our efforts to change the paradigm of communication and information sharing in Europe”.
“This project is an opportunity to develop a cryptographic capability”, noted Luis Policarpo, DISCRETION Project Manager for the Member States. “This capability can be used nationally and will provide the leverage needed to face new hybrid threats”.
Rear Admiral Gameiro Marques, Director-General of the Portuguese National Security Office, stated “This project is also seen as a strong contribution to improving the current level of strategic autonomy for both the EU and the participating Member States, as it will provide a QKD cryptographic capability to be used in highly sensitive military networks”.