CHARLESTON, S.C. — Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific announced the winners of a prize challenge on July 2 following a competition of the Cyber Resilient Systems (CRS) Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) held in mid-June on the South Carolina campus of NIWC Pacific’s sister command — NIWC Atlantic.

“Congratulations to the award winners and to all who participated in this year’s Cyber ANTX event,” said NIWC Pacific Commanding Officer Capt. Patrick McKenna.

“Prize challenges offer a valuable alternative acquisition tool that drives innovation and brings fresh perspectives to our toughest problems,” McKenna said. “While the immediate recognition is well deserved by the winners, the greater impact comes from empowering all participants to develop solutions that address current and future needs.”

The prize challenge, which was sponsored by the NavalX SoCal Tech Bridge, rewarded the two winning companies $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, for developing cyber tools designed to support the warfighter.

Acalvio won first prize for its technology that excelled in areas such as usability, features, technical performance and assessors’ recommendations, demonstrating its overall strength and effectiveness in enhancing cyber defense capabilities. Meanwhile, Mission First Cyber won second place for its technology that showed notable promise in delivering robust features, solid technical performance and valuable insights to support network defenders, ultimately earning its position as a strong contender in the evaluation.

More than just competitions, McKenna said prize challenges are opportunities to build lasting relationships and share insights that accelerate the Navy’s collective progress. “The innovation sparked here not only addresses today’s cyber challenges but also helps prepare us for emerging threats, ensuring the Navy and our nation remain resilient in an ever-changing landscape,” he said.

NIWC Pacific’s CRS ANTX took place in mid-June at the National Cyber Range Complex (NCRC) Charleston, a state-of-the-art facility located at NIWC Atlantic headquarters. The weeklong event served as the test and evaluation phase of the $150,000 prize challenge.

Ahead of the event, 14 proposals were submitted from both traditional and nontraditional commercial companies; the government down-selected five of the companies and invited them to compete in Charleston.

At the conclusion of the competitive portion of the prize challenge, industry had the opportunity to talk directly with members of the government cyber teams to better understand the Navy’s unique operational constraints.

Three government-developed solutions were also evaluated during the prize challenge to provide a baseline for comparison, including two from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and one from NIWC Pacific.

Notably, NIWC Pacific pioneered this research area in 2015 with groundbreaking publications on “The Human Factors of Cyber Network Defense” and “The Tularosa Study: An Experimental Design and Implementation to Quantify the Effectiveness of Cyber Deception.” Ten years later, the CRS ANTX represented the culmination of efforts that have given rise to a flourishing market, with commercial solutions now being utilized across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, retail, cloud services and many others.

Dr. Andrea Mask, ONR Global science advisor for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. TENTH Fleet, said last month’s ANTX sought various solutions that could address potential operational needs.

“This meant leaning into new (national) standards for cyber resiliency, because policy is heading toward cyber resilience over cybersecurity,” she said. “The new standard is ‘assume you are compromised.’”

Mask said she recommended selecting NCRC Charleston for the ANTX when planning began one year ago. “I was providing NIWC Pacific direction from a Fleet Cyber perspective, including lessons learned from the 2022 Cyber ANTX event (in Charleston),” she said.

Sponsored by the Test Resource Management Center under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, NCRC Charleston enables rigorous technical assessments of emerging technologies in a safe, controlled and simulated environment.

Capt. Matthew O’Neal, NIWC Atlantic commanding officer, said the ANTX was an excellent opportunity for scientists and engineers from several government labs to partner with industry in advancing cyber resilient capabilities.

“NIWC Atlantic was honored to host the CRS ANTX and collaborate with partners in developing capabilities that can spot cyberattacks early, deceive the adversary, learn their tactics and assist network defenders in sustaining operations even if under attack,” O’Neal said. “By connecting so many government organizations with technologists from the commercial sector, this event helped the Navy fine-tune our technical capabilities, and these new technologies can help equip warfighting platforms to project power even if parts are breached.”

Aside from industry, NCRC Charleston, both NIWCs, ONR and U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. TENTH Fleet, several other government partners collaborated during the ANTX, including Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command, Naval Criminal Investigative Services, Naval Postgraduate School and the U.S. Coast Guard Red Team.

Solutions identified during the prize challenge may be transitioned to procurement, an approach that streamlines the acquisition process to ensure the Navy more rapidly deploys cutting-edge cyber technologies.