TECHNICAL DIVISIONS
Communication Systems and Cyber Security— Division 6
The Communication Systems and Cyber Security Division develops and demonstrates new technology to enable worldwide networked operations for the military and other government agencies. The efforts draw on a core expertise in radio frequency (RF), fiber and free-space optics, cyber security, network protocols and services, information operations, communications processing, and speech and language technologies to address the needs of next-generation satellite, airborne, and terrestrial networks. The approach spans the network domain from physical layer to applications, with significant attention given to the interplay among layers and the need to provide security. There are many diverse elements to this program, including characterization of RF and optical channels, research and prototyping of protected satellites and terminals, development and evaluation of network protocols for tactical users, design and implementation of a toolbox for networked sensors, development and evaluation of information operations tools, and speech and language processing applications. The division is extensively involved in field experimentation and measurement campaigns to verify algorithms and architectural concepts in operational environments.
Group 61—Cyber Systems and Operations
The Cyber Systems and Operations group designs, develops, and tests next-generation secure networked systems to increase the agility and capabilities of national security systems to respond to unanticipated real-world events. The group's technology thrusts include service-oriented architectures for distributed software system integration, cyber security in support of contemporary national security needs, and software brokers and agents that mediate overloaded resources. The group is the center of Lincoln Laboratory activity for common net-centric architectures and tools and is influencing future national systems through a variety of programs, applying its technologies to cyber security, space situational awareness, missile defense, air traffic control, intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance, and air defense missions. The group works closely with operators and users of net-centric systems to assess the utility of technology solutions and to identify needed future capabilities. The sponsor base includes a broad set of national security agencies with which the group works both directly and in partnership with other divisions of Lincoln Laboratory.
Group 62—Human Language Technology
The Human Language Technology Group is engaged in a wide range of projects focusing on speech and language processing. The group's speech and language processing research and development (R&D) efforts include speech recognition, speaker recognition (identification, verification, and authentication), language and dialect identification, word spotting, speech coding, speech and audio signal enhancement, and machine translation. The group is also conducting R&D in analysis of social networks based on information extraction from speech and text. In each of the group's R&D areas, emphasis is placed on realistic data and experimental evaluation of techniques in test beds.
Group 63—Wideband Tactical Networking
The Wideband Tactical Networking Group develops enabling communications and networking concepts, technologies, and prototypes for mobile tactical military forces. The group is currently developing two types of advanced satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal prototypes. The first is a mobile ground terminal that can connect to multiple military satellites, including those that are able to maintain communications services during hostile electronic attack. The second type of prototype terminal supports high-rate data readout from long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. These system prototypes are used in a variety of demonstrations and field experiments, integrating a wide range of advanced technologies including multiband antenna feeds, low-profile antennas, antenna positioning systems, linear-efficient amplifiers, novel waveforms, advanced networking techniques and algorithms, and programmable modems. The multidisciplinary expertise required to complete these prototypes has allowed the group to tackle a diverse set of challenges related to algorithms and radios for mobile communication.
The group also conducts extensive research and experimentation on wireless networks. Activities include mobile ad hoc network performance prediction and a series of efforts addressing the challenges of heterogeneous networks. These efforts include investigating the application of network coding to heterogeneous link types, experimentation to address the challenges of interconnecting disparate mobile networks, and studies to determine policy settings that would allow network data to transit across networks. To facilitate these activities, the group has developed and employs a variety of network simulation and emulation tools. These tools provide a unique environment to evaluate emerging networking concepts, and some of the tools have been distributed broadly throughout government and industry.
Group 64—Advanced Satcom Systems and Operations
The Advanced Satcom Systems and Operations Group is involved in a synergistic combination of research, proof-of-concept test beds, and system engineering and application efforts focused on the goals of enhancing the capacity, the robustness to interference, and the flexibility of future generations of communications satellites, as well as line-of-sight radio communications systems and free-space optical communications. Current research is concentrating on the design and performance of advanced waveforms (including higher-order signaling constellations and iterative demodulation/decoding), the construction of flexible, adaptive wideband frequency plans, robust acquisition and tracking techniques, dynamic resource-allocation protocols, and advanced networking strategies. Promising research results are verified in hardware and software proof-of-concept implementations that provide quantitative performance data as well as complexity information. The group's system engineering activities synthesize innovative architectures and apply new concepts and technologies to specific communications programs in the national interest.
Group 65—Airborne Networks
The Airborne Networks Group specializes in advanced network and communication systems development, with a focus on mobile and airborne networks of the future. Tactical wireless networks differ from commercial wireless networks in the lack of infrastructure to support stable connectivity. The varied and stressing operational environment, as well as aircraft speeds and maneuverability, and platform integration, provides additional challenges to communication and network systems. The Airborne Networks Group uses a combination of technical analysis, modeling, simulation, emulation, prototype development, and flight tests to develop new communication systems and evaluate and predict their performance. The group conducts fundamental research to understand the feasible performance limits of mobile ad hoc networks and to design practical systems that bring researchers closer to achieving this capacity. Research and design areas include communication over heterogeneous networks, directional and omnidirectional antenna systems, secure wireless transport, topology management, resource control and allocation, efficient routing, and network quality of service as they apply to this unique and dynamic environment.
Group 66—Advanced Lasercom Systems and Operations
The Advanced Lasercom Systems and Operations Group conducts analysis, design, demonstration, and testing of optical communications systems over free-space channels. Recent initiatives focused on airborne lasercom systems supporting data transfer from tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) platforms and included identifying and validating techniques for mitigating signal power fluctuation due to atmospheric turbulence. Group capabilities include high-fidelity atmospheric modeling and simulation, and the development of multi-Gb/s modems; pointing, acquisition, and tracking systems; high-speed electronic coding and interleaving schemes; and network-standard interfaces. The group works with government and industrial partners to help expedite the transfer of capability to operational systems.
Group 67—Optical Communications Technology
The Optical Communications Technology Group develops advanced laser communications technology for many applications. Device research is under way to support novel developments in quantum information sciences. Research in superconducting, single-photon-counting detectors, novel modulation formats, and coding supports the development of future high-data-rate, interplanetary laser communications links. These technologies support the most sensitive optical communications links ever developed, enabling communication of several bits per detected photon across vast distances. The group's lasercom terminals will be fielded in a program with NASA to demonstrate laser communications to and from the moon.
Group 68—Cyber Systems and Technology
The Cyber Systems and Technology Group's research and development (R&D) efforts focus on techniques for protecting against, and detecting and reacting to, intrusions into networked information systems. The group develops threat models, measures, and metrics for security, and builds and standardizes resilient systems that address unique security needs of the U.S. government. The group also designs sensors, develops cryptographic solutions, and builds scalable cyber decision support tools. In each of the group's R&D areas, emphasis is placed on realistic data and experimental evaluation of techniques.
Group 69—Cyber System Assessments
The Cyber System Assessments Group provides the U.S. government with independent assessments of cyber systems and capabilities. These assessments are accomplished through the research and development of unique, cutting-edge technical capabilities for understanding, testing, assessing, and analyzing cyber technologies. In addition to the principal mission of planning, constructing, supporting, and executing testing and evaluation activities of cyber capabilities, the group also focuses on red-teaming to identify weaknesses in U.S. systems and characterization of adversary capabilities. The group achieves success through excellence and experience in core technical competencies, including the planning and execution of cyber evaluations, development of realistic, high-fidelity test environments to model the Internet and networks of interest, modeling of adversary capabilities, development of threat surrogates, low-level systems analysis for vulnerability discovery and malicious software analysis, low-observable system instrumentation and forensic analysis, and reverse engineering.
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