SBIR-STTR Award

Protecting the effectiveness of US advanced weapon systems and the technology they rely on is a national priority. Unfortunately, individuals tasked with this mission are met with disjointed guidance, no training, and competing processes to consider. It is no wonder adversaries continue to exploit these weaknesses in the Department of Defense (DOD); stealing our Critical Program Information (CPI) at an alarming rate. MAN proposes research to determine whether a common process for identifying CPI can be achieved. We will explore whether the process can also facilitate identification of key words (terms and phrases) that are capable of compromising the CPI. Our goal is to craft a common process for identifying CPI and key words that can be employed across the DOD. This common process could ultimately be captured in analog materials such as a training program and reference guide, as well as being automated for dissemination DOD-wide. Success of these efforts in the DOD environment could be transferred to the commercial sector where "trade secrets" act as equivalents to CPI.

Protecting the effectiveness of US advanced weapon systems and the technology they rely on is a national priority. Unfortunately, individuals tasked with this mission are met with disjointed guidance, no training, and competing processes to consider. It is no wonder adversaries continue to exploit these weaknesses in the Department of Defense (DOD); stealing our Critical Program Information (CPI) at an alarming rate. MAN proposes to build upon work completed in Phase I to develop an automated toolkit for the identification of CPI and associated key words. A demonstrator of the toolkit will be delivered on CD-ROM capable of operating with Windows 10 systems. We will also deliver a reference guide and training package that provides users familiarization with the toolkit and guidance for executing each step in the process. This automated process has the potential to provide significant cost savings to DOD efforts while facilitating horizontal protection through application of a common process. Success of these efforts in the DOD environment could be transferred to the commercial sector where “trade secrets” act as equivalents to C