Comsec Equipment

The LI 831010 - Comsec Equipment line item in the Air Force's FY 2026 budget supports a comprehensive set of programs aimed at ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Department of the Air Force (DAF) and Space Force communications. This line item is funded under Other Procurement, Air Force, specifically within the Electronics and Telecommunications Equipment budget activity, and focuses on procuring and modernizing communications security (COMSEC) equipment and related technologies. The overarching goal is to safeguard warfighter information and maintain decision superiority in increasingly contested cyberspace environments.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a central component of this line item, with objectives centered on procurement of PKI Identity Management (IDM) solutions as part of the DoD Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) program. PKI provides the foundational framework for secure digital identity, enabling digital signatures, encryption/decryption of electronic documents, and supporting physical and logical access controls. The program aligns with DoD and Air Force ICAM roadmaps and supports secure authentication, data integrity, and non-repudiation for network transactions.

PKI procurement includes evolutionary end-user equipment such as multifactor authentication technologies, cloud/mobile support, claims-based authorization, and attribute-based access control, as well as upgrades to meet federal standards like FIPS 201.

Air Force Identity Services (AFID), formerly known as Air Force Directory Services (AFDS), is another key objective. AFID provides a consolidated, authoritative source of identity management data for both Air Force and Space Force users, enabling secure smart card logon and supporting global net-centric operations. The program aims to synchronize user identities across disparate systems, reduce redundancy, and improve efficiency by eliminating stove-piped identity stores.

Funding supports procurement of identity and credential solutions for mobile platforms, hardware and software upgrades, and contractor-supported enhancements, all in alignment with DoD and DAF ICAM requirements.

Information Systems Security Program (ISSP) is the largest component of the line item, centrally funding the procurement of COMSEC equipment, encryption/decryption devices, and related ancillary hardware. The ISSP addresses the rising cybersecurity threats and the increasing reliance on cyberspace by warfighters. Its objectives include ensuring secure transport of information, protecting mission-critical communications, and denying adversaries the ability to intercept or manipulate data.

The program supports tactical, strategic, and network applications through equipment upgrades and replacements, incorporating the latest technologies mandated by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Within ISSP, the Air and Ground (A&G) COMSEC Program procures a wide range of secure encryption products for DAF, Space Force, and other DoD agencies. This includes NSA-approved devices such as KIV-7M, TACLANE, and other High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptors (HAIPE). The program also funds in-line network encryptors (INEs) to secure classified communications, secure telephones, embedded encryption modules, telemetry encryption devices, and key management infrastructure hardware.

Funding supports upgrades to comply with NSA Advanced Cryptographic Capabilities (ACC) directives and addresses user-driven requirements for expanded INE deployment.

Cryptographic Modernization 2 (CM2) initiatives are also funded under this line item, focusing on transforming cryptographic inventories to support joint, coalition, and future warfighting capabilities. CM2 objectives include procuring modular, scalable, and quantum-resilient cryptographic devices that ease logistics, support interoperability, and enable transparent key management.

Specific programs include the modernization of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mode 5 devices, Vinson/ANDVT Cryptographic Modernization (VACM) devices for secure voice communications, and classified data-at-rest solutions to protect sensitive information on Air Force platforms.

The line item also includes funding for Program Support Costs (PSC), which provide engineering and technical expertise for procurement activities, and for Air Force Key Management Infrastructure (AF KMI) Tier 2 hardware. AF KMI modernization is essential to meet NSA-mandated decertification dates and to secure uninterrupted national security information flows against emerging quantum threats. LI 831010 - Comsec Equipment is a centrally managed procurement effort, supporting a broad spectrum of secure communications needs for the Air Force, Space Force, and associated DoD missions.